Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos Javanicus)
Slightly larger than the vulture and a
bit smaller in size than an adjutant, the lesser adjutant is glossy
metallic black in colour with an ugly featherless head. It stands
lower than an adjutant and has a prominent white in the lower portion
of the body.
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Found In
The bird is uncommon in continental India, can be found in Kerala,
northeast India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka near the water bodies. Its
very shy in nature. Our wildlife photographer Amit had a great problem
catching the bird on film. In Bharatpur, where the bird is not
commonly found, Amit had to stalk and wait for an hour before getting
a single picture. Although it feeds on carcasses, the bird is more
fond of fish, frog, reptiles and smaller invertebrates. The main
nesting area is North-East India where the bird lays three or four
white eggs. The bird is called chandairi in Hindi. |