Mycteria leucocephala
Silhouette: Mathieu Basille · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
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 |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Stork sighting in Chennai on a given day, based on 2,537 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 25th most-seen of the 223 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Stork in Chennai on a given day, against about 20% in June to August, the lowest months.
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.
2nd of 47
Of the 47 cities where we can rate Painted Stork sightings, Chennai ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Vasai-Virar (India, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Painted Stork is recorded against all the birds logged in Chennai (2,537 verified sightings), 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.
