Species 1 - Burung Botak Padi/Upeh Sawah @ Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) Part II

There are quite a number of them, can be found easily at the pond near FMHS, sometimes near the old paddy plot just behind 17th college.  Once my colleague did counted and there are 60 of them, adult and juvenile birds.

These birds are wader, which have long leg and feeding in shallow waters.  They come in flock, and feeding by immersing their heavy and yellow beak half open in the shallow depth.  They caught prey by sweeping those half open beak side by side and their long leg serve to stir the water for hiding fish.

There are a few species in stork family and this painted stork get the name by the distinctive pink colour of the tertial feathers at the back of the body.  Juvenile and adults looks almost the same except that juvenile have blackish face with grey beak and brownish plumage.

more information of this species from:
http://www.wildlife.gov.my/printed_material/kbdAviClist/painted_stork.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painted_Stork