30.09.2023 - Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala)

Name: Painted Stork
Scientific Name: Mycteria leucocephala

Tamil Name: சங்குவளை நாரை (Sangguvalai Naarai)

Malay/Local Name: Burung Botak Padi

Painted Storks are medium sized stork, named for its distinctive pinkish tertials (in adults). Often seen foraging in large flocks in shallow waters. It was once thought to be the relative of ibises, due to its slightly curved beak. It was placed under the genus Ibis, Tantalus and Pseudotantalus, before it was finally placed under Mycteria. 

Description

Adult bird appears white with black flight feathers. The upper and under wing coverts (linings) are black and white striped. The under wing lining extended to its chest, forming a black and white, scaly chest band. Head is bald and reddish. The tertials are tipped with bright pink. Bill is large, yellow and curved down at the end. Sexes alike; males are larger than females. Juvenile birds is paler, washed with brown and lacks the chest band. Downy youngs are white with black face and bill. Adult bird stands up to 102 cm tall and has a wingspan of 1.6m. Like all storks, Painted storks fly with neck outstretched. Often seen thermaling above foraging grounds. Mostly silent, yet clatters bill and gives out harsh croaking sound at its nest.

Status & Distribution

According to the web search results, the painted stork is an introduced species in Peninsular Malaysia. The population started with four individuals that were brought from Sri Lanka and handed over to Zoo Negara in 1965. They were allowed to fly freely within the zoo compound. However, in the last 10 years, this species has been actively spreading and can easily be seen in lakes and ponds around Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

Painted Stork at Putrajaya Wetland Park

Between 2004 and 2008, some Painted Storks may have travelled from Zoo Negara to Putrajaya Wetland and Shah Alam lakes for feeding before permanently residing at these two sites. They have successfully created breeding colonies there and their populations have grown exponentially by 2017. As per now this species can be seen in lakes, rivers and coastal mudflats

Painted Stork at Sungai Kuyuh (Selangor)

The presence of this species may threaten the survival of local bird species such as the milky stork, which is native to Peninsular Malaysia and listed as endangered by IUCN. Thus, proper management of this introduced stork species is urgently needed to be done. 

Confusion Species

Painted Storks are at times misidentified as Milky Storks. Painted Storks have black markings on their wing coverts and pinkish tinges on their tertial feathers, which Milky Storks lack. Painted Storks have different underpart coloration than Milky Storks; the latter appears mostly white except of the black flight feathers. 

Underpart difference of Milky Stork (Top) and Painted Stork (Bottom)

Geographical Variation

None. Monotypic.

Behavior

Painted Storks are mainly piscivorous. Foraging behaviors are as the same as the Milky Storks. Painted Storks are tactile foragers; both active and passive tactolocation methods are used to capture their prey. 

A Painted Stork groping at a shallow river

Painted Stork tossing a small mollusks

Habitat

Freshwater bodies (both natural and man-made), estuaries and coastal mud flats.

Breeding

Painted Storks are recorded to breeding between March to September in Malaysia (peak season in June). Same as most stork species, Painted Storks form monogamous pair for breeding. Male will arrive to the nesting sites and select its nesting spot. Old nest are reused as well. Males display bill clattering, wing drooping, head bowing and display preening to show off plumage and size. Males also present nesting material (twigs and sticks) to females as part of forming the pair bonding. Once pair bonding established, it proceeds to copulation and nest building. 

Males typically will gather nesting materials while females arrange them. Nest is usually a platform of sticks, built on trees. Height of nest predominantly depends on size of the nesting tree, proximity to water and predation risks. Size of the nests depends on the number of nestling produced by the pair, ranging from 40 to 110 cm. Female lays 3 to 5 white eggs; both parents will share the incubation duties. Eggs hatch in approximately in 30 days. The nestlings will fledge in 60 to 70 days. Young birds will stay close to the nest even after fledging and shall be fed by the parents for 2 to 3 weeks.

Hybrids

Interbreeds with Milky Stork at its overlapping regions. 2 to 3 of such hybrids had been sighted at Tanjung Ketapang coast of Johor by Ahmad Taufik on October 2022.

Painted Stork x Milky Stork Hybrid at Tanjung Ketapang, Johor. Photo By Ahmad Taufik (Johor)

Conservation Status

Least Concern based on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Population trend is increasing overall especially in South East Asia regions. In some places, local population are declining due to habitat loss, disturbance and other threats. Poses threat on the endangered Milky Storks through interbreeding at overlapping regions, thus affecting Milky Stork's genetic purity. In Malaysia, the increasing population of Painted Storks may result and ecological impact on other water birds. 

Painted Stork confronting a Grey Heron

References:

1. BirdLife International. (2025, September 26). Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala). BirdLife Data Zone. https://https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/painted-stork-mycteria-leucocephala.

2. Mohd Amir Zakaria, Ummi Nur Syafiqah Daud, Mohammad Saiful Mansor*

and Shukor Md. Nor (2023) The Breeding Ecology of the Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala in Central Peninsular Malaysia, Pertanika Science & Technology Jurnal 31(2); 1121 - 1135.

3. Rahman et al. (2018). Hybridization of Milky Stork and Painted Stork in Captive and Wild Populations in Malaysia. Journal of Sustainability Science and Management 13(2): 123–131.