Greater Adjutant vs Lesser Adjutant

Greater Adjutant

Leptoptilos dubius

Huge5.0 kgWetland

The greater adjutant is a huge bird, standing tall at 145–150 cm (4 ft 9 in – 4 ft 11 in). The average length is 136 cm (4 ft 6 in) and average wingspan is 250 cm (8 ft 2 in), it may rival its cousin the marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumeniferus) as the largest winged extant stork. While no weights have been published for wild birds, the greater adjutant is among the largest of living storks, with published measurements overlapping with those of the jabiru (Jabiru mycteria), saddle-billed stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis) and marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumeniferus).

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Yathin sk at English Wikipedia · CC BY 2.5

Lesser Adjutant

Leptoptilos javanicus

Huge4.7 kgWetland

A large stork with an upright stance, a bare head and neck without a pendant pouch, it has a length of 87–93 cm (34–37 in) (outstretched from bill-to-tail measurement), weighs from 4 to 5.71 kg (8.8 to 12.6 lb) and stands about 110–120 cm (43–47 in) tall. The only confusable species is the greater adjutant, but this species is generally smaller and has a straight upper bill edge (culmen), measuring 25.8–30.8 cm (10.2–12.1 in) in length, with a paler base and appears slightly trimmer and less hunch-backed.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Elena Gaillard from New York, USA · CC BY 2.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Greater Adjutant and Lesser Adjutant.