Mycteria leucocephala
Silhouette: Mathieu Basille · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala) is a large wader in the stork family. It is found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in the Indian subcontinent and extending into Southeast Asia. Their distinctive pink tertial feathers of the adults give them their name. They forage in flocks in shallow waters along rivers or lakes. They immerse their half open beaks in water and sweep them from side to side and snap up their prey of small fish that are sensed by touch. As they wade along they also stir the water with their feet to flush hiding fish. They nest colonially in trees, often along with other waterbirds. The only sounds they produce are weak moans or bill clattering at the nest. They are not migratory and only make short-distance movements in some parts of their range in response to changes in weather or food availability or for breeding. Like other storks, they are often seen soaring on thermals.
This large stork has a heavy yellow beak with a down-curved tip that gives it a resemblance to an ibis. The head of the adult is bare and orange or reddish in colour. The long tertials are tipped in bright pink and at rest they extend... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 3 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 4 | Udawalawe National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 5 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Gir National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 9 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vasai-Virar | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Chennai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Agra | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Surat | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Mumbai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Johor Bahru | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 7 | Kota | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Mysuru | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Rajkot | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Bengaluru | 🇮🇳 India |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Stork sighting in Bandhavgarh National Park on a given day, based on 110 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 113th most-seen of the 241 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Stork in Bandhavgarh National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and September–February, the lowest months. That is one of Bandhavgarh National Park's wettest months, with about 150 mm of rain against almost none in November.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Painted Stork sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
11th of 14
Of the 14 parks where we can rate Painted Stork sightings, Bandhavgarh National Park ranks 11th at about 10%. The best odds are in Keoladeo National Park (India, about 80%), Yala National Park (Sri Lanka, about 80%) and Wilpattu National Park (Sri Lanka, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Ciconiidae
The closest relatives of the Painted Stork that you can see in Bandhavgarh National Park (family Ciconiidae, Storks) are Lesser Adjutant (about 40%) and Asian Woolly-necked Stork (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Painted Stork is recorded against all the birds logged in Bandhavgarh National Park (110 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
