African Woolly-necked Stork vs Oriental Stork

African Woolly-necked Stork

Ciconia microscelis

Huge2.1 kgWetland

The African woolly-necked stork is a medium-sized stork at 75–92 cm tall. The iris is deep crimson or wine-red. The stork is glistening black overall with a black "skull cap", a downy white neck which gives it its name. The lower belly and under-tail coverts are white, standing out from the rest of the dark coloured plumage. Feathers on the fore-neck are iridescent with a coppery-purple tinge. These feathers are elongated and can be erected during displays. The tail is deeply forked and is white, usually covered by the black long under tail coverts.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Bruno - Yolande Zanette · CC BY 4.0

Oriental Stork

Ciconia boyciana

Huge4.8 kgWetland

It is typically larger than the white stork, at 100–129 cm (39.5–51 in) long, 110–150 cm (43–59 in) tall, a weight of 2.8–5.9 kg (6.2–13.0 lb) and a wingspan of 2.22 m (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 the male. The young are white with orange bills.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Se Lena · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: African Woolly-necked Stork and Oriental Stork.