Waterbird foods: Lesser Adjutant

Surprisingly little is known of many species of large waterbirds such as storks, ibis and spoonbills. The Lesser Adjutant is one such species. Until recently, it was thought to require tall trees in forests to nests. However, surveys in the lowlands of eastern and central Nepal during 2013-15 have found that practically all of the nesting in some of the rice-growing districts are on trees amid fields. Clearly, a lot is needed to be done in the field to understand this species better. Here is my bit.

With my colleagues, I observed Lesser Adjutants for many an hour in central lowland Nepal in the districts of Rupandehi and Kapilvastu. I restrict this blog post to some of the observations we had of the species feeding in the rice paddies.

As has been seen in eastern Nepal, and in Sri Lanka, Lesser Adjutants in Nepal frequent rice paddies during the monsoon. They steer clear of traffic on the roads, and keep at least 20-30 feet from farmers working on the fields.

One morning, we observed three stork feeding together - all three were exceedingly successful in finding earthworms in the flooded rice fields! We watched as each of them found and devoured 5-7 earthworms in just five minutes! The photo below shows one earthworm meeting its end between the massive beak of a Lesser Adjutant.

Another individual seemed an expert at finding insects in the rice fields. In the photo below, a Belastomatid (giant water bug) is swallowed with gusto.

Another individual, shown below, caught and devoured a freshwater crab that seemed too tiny to be of consequence, but clearly kept the stork's attention as it maneuvered the animal into its mouth.

With almost no time wasted the same stork also caught a fish, which nearly escaped. But,down the hatch it went!

Other colleagues and students have seen Lesser Adjutants in Nepal bring snakes to feed chicks at nests. Now, that must have been a treat for all!

(All photos from Rupandehi and Kapilvastu districts in lowland Nepal, Aug 2014.) 

Debugging with ash

A woman in central Pratapgarh district throws handfuls of ash from the kitchen stove on ripening rice. Many farmers in Uttar Pradesh still limit the use of chemical pesticides, or continue using traditional materials, like ash, alongside chemical pesticides to control insect pests on rice. A Zitting Cisticola sat undeterred (not visible here), presumably near its nest, as a cloud of ash fell on and around it - now that would have been an excellent photo to get!

(Photograph details: 23 Sep 2008; Pratapgarh district.)

Waterbird foods: Asian Openbill and Little Heron

Wetlands offer a range of foods to birds, and the monsoon is a fantastic season to observe birds getting their goodies. In this entry, two species are shown doing what they do best.

Asian Openbills are super-specialized in their food habits - they almost exclusively eat the large snails associated with flooded rice paddies. It is believed that this stork species has increased in numbers and spread closely following the increase of rice cultivation in Asia. Above, you can see a stork getting hold of a nice-sized snail, prising open the snail's lid, and pulling out the meaty snail for a doubtlessly yummy early morning snack.

The Little Heron (variously also referred to as the Green Heron and Little Green Heron) is not common in the inland areas of northern India. A neat, compact little heron, this species is an expert fisherbird. Above, a heron catches and hangs on to a fish beside a rice field - good start for a breakfast that will no doubt include many more fishies.

(Photograph information: Asian OpenbillLs: 8 Aug 2009, Mainpuri district; Little Heron: 5 Aug 2009, Bhadohi district.)

Monsoon = rice + new birds + wetlands

This year, 2009, the rains in the Gangetic flood plains are delayed as of July - the rains sort of began in mid-July, and have not really begun in earnest since. However, it has been adequate for most farmers to begin working on planting rice - farmers everywhere are ploughing fields (top) and fertilizing flooded fields in anticipation of regular rains later on.

With the rainy season, the plains witness the formation of wetlands, and the arrival of some species of birds that are absent here the rest of the year.


Three species of bitterns are found throughout Uttar Pradesh in the monsoon. This information was not known with certainty prior to this ongoing study. Above, a Cinnamon Bittern poses in the morning light beside a flooded rice field with few reeds growing on the edge. (I hope to post more on bitterns later on this blog.)


The stunning Paradise Flycatchers are supposed to be passing through Uttar Pradesh in the summer and monsoon season, though this is not known for certain and they may well breed here. Above, a male bird in full splendour calls out to a female in another tree in a roadside goose-berry orchard.


Finally, this Bronze-winged Jacana (remember the lily-trotters?) stands on lily leaves whose tubers were awaiting in dry mud for nearly 5 months to grow again.

(Photographs information: Farmer ploughing: Allahabad district, 24 Jul 2009; rice broadcasting: Allahabad district, 24 Jul 2009; Cinnamon Bittern: Jaunpur district, 31 Jul 2009; Paradise Flycather: Sultanpur district, 25 Jul 2009; Bronze-winged Jacana: Jaunpur district, 31 Jul 2009.)