K K Hui FRPS
Avian Photography
Oriental Stork
The Oriental Stork Ciconia boyciana is a large white bird with black wing feathers. It is closely related and resembles the European White Stork, of which it was formerly often treated as a subspecies. It is typically larger than the White Stork, at 45 in long, 56 in tall, a weight of 13 lb and a wingspan of 7.3 ft. Unlike its more widespread cousin, the Oriental Stork has red skin around its eye, with a whitish iris and black bill. Both sexes are similar. The female is slightly smaller than male. The young are white with orange bills. At one time, the Oriental Stork could be found in Japan, China, Korea and Russia. It is now extinct in Japan and Korean peninsula. The Oriental Stork is a solitary bird except during the breeding season. Its diets consist mainly of fish, frogs, insects, small birds and reptiles, as well as rodents. The female usually lays between two to six eggs. Due to habitat loss and overhunting, the Oriental Stork is classified as Endangered.
Oriental Stork breeds in the Amur and Ussuri basins along the border of Russia and mainland China , and small numbers breed in the lower reaches of the Wuyuerhe river in Heilongjiang province . It is a summer vagrant in eastern Mongolia. The main wintering grounds are in the lower Yangtze basin and southern China, as far south as Taiwan and Hong Kong. Small numbers winter in North Korea, South Korea and Japan, and irregularly in the Philippines, north-eastern India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. The population is estimated at 3,000 individuals.
Oriental Stork occurs irregularly here in Hong Kong. It was in early July 2012 a single Oriental Stork arrived in Mai Po Nature Reserve, MPNR. This is unusal as fall migration normally starts in September. On record, there was a flock of some 120 arrived at MPNR in November 1990 and remained in the area until eraly March the next year; eleven returned the following winter. This Special Featured Gallery is created to showcase the beauty of this big bird.
