Openbill stork

Openbill storks
African openbill by Huet & Prêtre
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Ciconiiformes
Family:Ciconiidae
Genus:Anastomus
Bonnaterre, 1791
Species

The openbill storks or openbills are two species of stork (family Ciconiidae) in the genus Anastomus. They are large wading birds characterized by large bills, the mandibles of which do not meet except at the tip. This feature develops only in the adults. Both species feed predominantly on molluscs. The roof of the upper bill is fringed with plate-like structures ("lamellae") in the African openbill, but these are absent in the Asian species.[1][2] The two species of openbill storks are:

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
A. oscitansAsian openbilla resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Southeast Asia.
A. lamelligerusAfrican openbilla resident breeder in Africa and Madagascar.

References

  1. ↑ Beddard, F. E. (1901). "Some Notes upon the Anatomy and Systematic Position of the Ciconiine Genus Anastomus". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 70: 365–371. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1901.tb08551.x.
  2. ↑ Kahl, MP (1971). "Food and feeding behavior of Openbill Storks". Journal of Ornithology. 112 (1): 21–35. doi:10.1007/BF01644077.


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