Greater Adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius)

Greater Adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius)

Context: As the wetlands of Assam give way to rapid urbanization, greater adjutant storks are finding their survival a daily struggle.

About:

• Greater adjutant (also called Calcutta adjutant and Hargila in Assamese) is a stork species.
• Distribution: South Asia and mainland Southeast Asia. It has three breeding populations: two in India, with the largest colony in Assam & a smaller one around Bhagalpur, and another in Cambodia.
• Habitat: Wetlands, mangroves, intertidal flats and urban areas. It makes its nest in tall trees.
• Diet: Principally carnivorous, it preys on fish, frogs, snakes and other reptiles, eels, birds, and carrion.
• Threats: Habitat loss, overfishing, hunting, and pollution.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: Near Threatened | WPA, 1972: Schedule I
• Significance: Greater adjutants are important scavengers of large carrion and likely contribute to sanitation and disease control in the environment.