Birds of India - The New Synopsis

A complete checklist of bird species and subspecies found in India

Ciconiiformes (Storks)

Ciconiidae (Storks)

• Anastomus Bonnaterre, 1791 Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique des trois règnes de la nature. Ornithologie. 2nd ed. 1 p.xciii Ardea oscitans Boddaert, 1783; Type by subsequent designation (Gray, 1841, A list of the genera of birds, with their synonyma and with an indication of the typical species of each genus. 2nd. ed., ed. 2, p.87)
  • 338. Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert, 1783) [HB#61]
    Original Description: Ardea oscitans Boddaert, 1783 Table des planches enluminéez d'histoire naturelle de M. D'Aubenton p.55 (Puducherry [=Pondicherry])
    Alternative Names: Openbill Stork, Open-billed Stork
    Distribution: Throughout India south of the Himalayan ranges – Punjab in the north till the southern tip of the peninsula, NE India, Andaman & Nicobar Is.
    Specimens: BNHS, ZSI, UMZC, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, MCZ, ROM, YPM, TNHM, LKO, FTLB
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
  
  
  • 339. African Openbill Anastomus lamelligerus Temminck, 1823
    IUCN: Least Concern. WLPA: Recent addition.
    • 339a. Anastomus lamelligerus lamelligerus Temminck, 1823
      Original Description: Anastomus lamelligerus Temminck, 1823 Nouveau recueil de planches coloriées d'oiseaux, pour servir de suite et de complément aux planches enluminées de Buffon livr. 40, pl.236
      Distribution: Vagrant. Once to Goa and Kerala.
      Notes: See Subin (2024, IB 20(5):149).
  
  
• Leptoptilos Lesson, 1831 Traité d'Ornithologie, ou Tableau Méthodique des ordres, sous-ordres, familles, tribus, genres, sous-genres et races d'oiseaux livr.8 p.583 Ardea argala Latham, 1790; Type by subsequent designation (Gray, 1840, A list of the genera of birds, with an indication of the typical species of each genus, , p.67) = Ardea dubia Gmelin, 1789
  • 340. Greater Adjutant Leptoptilos dubius (Gmelin, 1789) [HB#67]
    Original Description: Ardea dubia Gmelin, 1789 Systema Naturae. Editio decima tertia, aucta, reformata. Cura Jo. Frid. Gmelin (etc.). Tomus I. Pars II 1 pt2 p.624 (India)
    Alternative Names: Adjutant Stork
    Distribution: Historically from Gangetic plains till NE India but now restricted to Bihar and Brahmaputra plains mostly around Guwahati.
    Specimens: UMZC, UMMZ, AMNH, USNM, YPM, LKO
    IUCN: Near Threatened. SoIB: High. WLPA: Schedule-I.
  
  
  • 341. Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus (Horsfield, 1821) [HB#68]
    Original Description: Ciconia Javanica Horsfield, 1821 Transactions of the Linnean Society of London (1), 13 p.188
    Distribution: Indo-Gangetic plains, NE India, E and C India, and locally in Deccan and W Ghats south till C Kerala.
    Specimens: UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, TNHM
    IUCN: Near Threatened. SoIB: Moderate. WLPA: Schedule-I.
  
  
• Mycteria Linnaeus, 1758 Systema Naturæ per Regna Tria Naturæ, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata 1 p.140 Mycteria americana Linnaeus, 1758; Type by monotypy
  • 342. Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant, 1769) [HB#60]
    Original Description: Tantalus leucocephalus Pennant, 1769 Indian Zoology p.11 pl.10
    Distribution: Through India except Kashmir, trans-Himalaya and only locally in NE hill states.
    Specimens: BNHS, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, ROM, YPM, FTLB, BNHM
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Low. WLPA: Schedule-II.
  
  
• Ephippiorhynchus Bonaparte, 1855 Conspectus generum avium 2 p.106 Ciconia ephippiorhyncha Temminck, 1824; Type by monotypy = Mycteria senegalensis Shaw, 1800
  • 343. Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus (Latham, 1790)
    IUCN: Near Threatened. SoIB: Moderate. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 343a. Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus asiaticus (Latham, 1790) [HB#66]
      Original Description: Mycteria asiatica Latham, 1790 Index ornithologicus, sive systema ornithologiæ; complectens avium divisionem in classes, ordines, genera, species, ipsarumque varietates: adjectis synonymis, locis, descriptionibus, &c. 2 p.670 (India)
      Distribution: Most of northern peninsular lowlands – along the Indo-Gangetic plains and Brahmaputra plains in Assam; E Rajasthan (not in Thar desert), Gujarat, locally in Madhya Pradesh, N Maharashtra, and coastal Odisha.
      Specimens: BNHS, AMNH, FMNH, ROM
      Notes: Formerly much more widespread in peninsular India except S India. No definitive reports of Sri Lankan population straggling to S Tamil Nadu.
  
  
• Ciconia Brisson, 1760 Ornithologia sive synopsis methodica sistens avium divisionem in ordines, sectiones, genera, species, ipsarumaque varietates 1 p.48;5, p.361 Ciconia Brisson ; Type by tautonymy = Ardea ciconia Linnaeus, 1758
  • 344. Black Stork Ciconia nigra (Linnaeus, 1758) [HB#65]
    Original Description: Ardea nigra Linnaeus, 1758 Systema Naturæ per Regna Tria Naturæ, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata 1 p.142
    Distribution: Winter: Throughout India including NE India; but mostly a straggler in Indo-Gangetic plains and E India from W Bengal till Tamil Nadu.
    Specimens: BNHS, UMZC, UMMZ
    IUCN: Least Concern. SoIB: Moderate. WLPA: Schedule-II. CITES: Appendix II. CMS: Appendix II.
  
  
  • 345. White Stork Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758)
    Alternative Names: European White Stork
    IUCN: Least Concern. WLPA: Schedule-I. CMS: Appendix II.
    • 345a. Ciconia ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758) [HB#63]
      Original Description: Ardea Ciconia Linnaeus, 1758 Systema Naturæ per Regna Tria Naturæ, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata 1 p.142
      Distribution: Vagrant (?). Reported only from Rajasthan and S Tamil Nadu.
      Specimens: BNHS, UMMZ
      Notes: Ringing recovery of two German birds (Balachandran et al. 2018, Indian Bird Migration Atlas p. 147) in India (Bikaner and Tirunelveli) confirms the presence of the nominate subspecies that breeds in Europe. Current specimens listed here following the respective museum catalogues but see next taxa.
    • 345b. Ciconia ciconia asiatica Severtsov, 1873
      Original Description: Ciconia alba asiatica Severtsov, 1873 Izvestiya Imperatorskago Obshchestva Lyubitelei Estestvoznaniya, Antropologii i Etnografii 8 pt2 p.113
      Taxonomy: Scarcely distinct (see Biswas 1964, JBNHS 60 (3): 680) and probably best considered monotypic.
      Distribution: Winter: Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand, Delhi region, formerly Gangetic plains till about W Bengal (no recent reports), Rajasthan, Gujarat, W Maharashtra, W and S Karnataka, S Andhra, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. Formerly also C India now only stragglers there.
      Notes: Assumed most birds are of this subspecies though regional wintering populations of the nominate subspecies cannot be ruled out. Specimens are difficult to assign to subspecies but RA2012 treats regional birds as this.
  
  
  • 346. Asian Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus (Boddaert, 1783)
    Alternative Names: White-necked Stork, Asian Woollyneck, Woolly-necked Stork (with C. microscelis EL)
    IUCN: Near Threatened. SoIB: Moderate. WLPA: Schedule-II.
    • 346a. Ciconia episcopus episcopus (Boddaert, 1783) [HB#62]
      Original Description: Ardea episcopus Boddaert, 1783 Table des planches enluminéez d'histoire naturelle de M. D'Aubenton p.54 (Coromandel Coast)
      Distribution: Throughout India from south of Jammu till the southern tip of the peninsula. Also, in Brahmaputra plains of Assam and adjoining Arunachal – sporadically in NE hill states like Nagaland, Meghalaya, as well as Cachar.
      Specimens: BNHS, UMMZ, AMNH, FMNH, ROM