Fun Lesser Adjutant Facts For Kids

The lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) is a large stork of the Ciconiidae family. It lives in the wetlands of Asia and Southeast Asia. The female stork lays two to four white eggs in its nest, a large platform of sticks placed on the top of tall trees. This stork forms loose local colonies of up to 2o nests for nesting during the breeding season. The upper plumage and wings of this large stork are a uniform black. The nearly bare head and neck have some scattered feathers which resemble hair. The ventral body, underbelly, and undertail are white. The side of the head is red colored with contrast with its pale forehead. There are approximately 5,500-10,000 mature individuals in the world.For more relatable content, check out these great hornbill facts and flame bowerbird facts for kids.

What do they prey on? Reptiles, fish, frogs, large invertebrates, rodents, and small mammals

What do they eat? Carnivore

Average litter size? 2-4 eggs

How much do they weigh? 8.8-12.6 lb (4-5.71 kg)

How long are they? 34–37 in (87–93 cm)

How tall are they? 43–47 in (110–120 cm)

What do they look like? White body, black wings, a long bill

Skin Type Feathers

What were their main threats? Loss Of Nesting Habitat, Conversion, Degradation Of Wetlands, Agricultural Changes

What is their conservation status? Vulnerable

Where you’ll find them? Freshwater Wetlands, Large Rivers And Lakes, Coastal Wetlands Like Mudflats And Mangroves

Locations India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand And Indonesia

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Leptoptilos

Class Aves

Family Ciconiidae

Lesser Adjutant Interesting FactsWhat type of animal is a lesser adjutant?The lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) is a stork belonging to the family Ciconiidae and genus Leptoptilos.What class of animal does a lesser adjutant belong to?The lesser adjutant stork belongs to the class of birds, Aves.How many lesser adjutants are there in the world?Recorded data shows approximately 5,500-10,000 lesser adjutant storks left in the world, and their population is rapidly decreasing in its distribution range.Where does a lesser adjutant live?The lesser adjutant stork is endemic to Asia and southeast Asia (countries like India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Laos, Singapore, Indonesia, and Cambodia).What is a lesser adjutant’s habitat?The lesser adjutants live near wooded areas near large rivers and lakes, freshwater wetlands, coastal wetlands like mudflats and mangroves, and agricultural crop fields.Who does a lesser adjutant live with?The lesser adjutant stork is usually seen alone. The large stork can sometimes be seen in pairs during the breeding season. This stork forms loose local colonies of up to 2o nests for nesting during the breeding season.How long does a lesser adjutant live?The lesser adjutant storks have a long lifespan of 30-40 years.How do they reproduce?This large stork reproduces by laying eggs. The female stork lays two to four white eggs in its nest, a large platform of sticks placed on the top of tall trees. The diameter of the nest is more than 3.2 ft (1 m)and can be up to 3.4 ft (1 m) deep. The nest is placed in trees as high as 150 ft (46 m). During courtship and subsequently pair formation, female birds perform the balancing posture by lifting their heads in a scooping motion accompanied by bill-clattering. During the breeding season, the head is reddish, and the neck is orange in color. The breeding season is February to May in southern India and November to January in north-eastern India. The female incubates the eggs for 28–30 days, after which the young hatch. Both the sexes leave the nest to gather food for the young.What is their conservation status?The lesser adjutant stork is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List. According to relevant data, there are approximately 5,500-10,000 mature individuals in the world.Lesser Adjutant Fun FactsWhat does a lesser adjutant look like?The skullcap of a lesser adjutant stork is paler than that of a greater adjutant stork and has an upright stance. The upper plumage and wings of this large stork are a uniform black. The nearly bare head and neck have some scattered feathers which resemble hair. The tibia is gray instead of pink in color; the tarsus measures 8.9–10.6 in (22.5–26.8 cm). The ventral body, underbelly, and undertail are white. The side of the head is red-colored with contrast with its pale forehead. While the face, bare head, and neck are usually pale gray in color, during the breeding season, the face turns reddish, and the neck is yellowish-orange colored. The larger median wing coverts are tipped with a coppery brown color. The inner secondary coverts and tertials have narrow white edging. The wings measure 22.6–26 in (57.5–66 cm) in length each. In-flight, they retract their neck, and the folded neck appears like the distinctive pouch of a greater adjutant. Male and female lesser adjutant storks appear similar in plumage. Still, the males tend to be a little larger with a heavier bill. The juvenile lesser adjutants look like a duller version of the adult bird but have more feathers on the nape of their neck.The lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) is closely related and shares physical similarities with the greater adjutant stork. The lesser adjutant is smaller, has paler underparts, is less hunchbacked, and has a long, straight bill that measures 10.2–12.1 in (25.8–30.8 cm).How cute are they?The lesser adjutants can not be called cute; they are majestic-looking birds with a wide wingspan and large size.How do they communicate?This species of storks is a relatively silent bird, unlike other birds in the world like the loud sulfur crested cockatoo. They occasionally clatter their bills while courting and hiss and moan when they are at the nest. During the arching display, a threat display given in the presence of intruders, lesser adjutant stork adults stretch their necks and give out a hoarse wail.How big is a lesser adjutant?The lesser adjutant stork is 34–37 in (87–93 cm) long and 43–47 in (110–120 cm) tall. The wings each measure 22.6–26 in (57.5–66 cm) in length. The feet (tarsus) measures 8.9–10.6 in (22.5–26.8 cm), and its beak is 10.2–12.1 in (25.8–30.8 cm) long. It is the same size as a wood stork and twice the size of a night heron.How fast can a lesser adjutant fly?Storks are not very fast flyers. They flap their large wings at a slow and regular rhythm. The exact speed of a lesser adjutant stork is unknown, but the average speed of other stork species is 10-12.4 mph (16-20 kph).How much does a lesser adjutant weigh?The lesser adjutant stork weighs 8.8-12.6 lb (4-5.71 kg), as much as a golden eagle and five times the weight of a golden-masked owl.What are the male and female names of the species?There are no specific names to differentiate between the males and females of this stork species. They are simply called male lesser adjutant or female lesser adjutant.What would you call a baby lesser adjutant?There are no specific names for the baby lesser adjutant; like most birds, the young of this stork can be called chicks, juvenile, hatchling, or baby in general.What do they eat?The diet of a lesser adjutant usually consists of reptiles, fish, frogs, large invertebrates, rodents, and small mammals. Unlike the greater adjutant scavengers, this stork species does not commonly feed or carrion (decaying flesh of animals) and is thus not considered scavengers. Its long, straight bill helps it catch its prey in the wetlands easily.Are they dangerous?No, they are not a threat to humans. Since they often live in agricultural crop fields, they are familiar with humans. Although, they can get territorial if you invade their territory and deem you a threat to them or the young.Would they make a good pet?No, they would not be good pets. They are wild birds that have specific habitat needs which cannot be replicated easily. Their population is already decreasing, and allowing people to capture them as pets will not help their conservation.Did you know…The lesser adjutant species are non-migratory resident birds, endemic to countries of southern Asia and southeast Asia.The lesser adjutants are named so because of their stiff military-style gait on land.A lesser adjutant was paired and hybridized with a painted stork at Dehiwala Zoo, Sri Lanka, and Kuala Lumpur Zoo. The hybrid juvenile had the plumage and bill-size of a lesser adjutant, but stance and shape of bill resembling the painted stork.What were the two reasons that led to the decline of the greater adjutant? The greater adjutant storks were disliked by locals. They were considered unclean due to their habits of feeding on garbage and dead and decaying animal flesh. Their excretion was also considered very dirty. The villagers and landowners hated this stork species so much that they would cut down tall trees where the greater adjutants nest. Eventually, this habitat destruction, felling of nest trees, pollution of wetlands, and poaching led to a rapid decrease in the population of this species. The once prevalent stork species became endangered. There are estimated to be less than 1,000 mature greater adjutants in the world. Proper conservation tactics are now being used to revive their population.Which dumping site is also the home for the greater adjutant?The Guwahati Garbage Dump in Assam, India, is considered home by the greater adjutants. They live in peaceful coexistence; when a garbage truck unloads, the ragpickers first pick out whatever they want, after which the greater adjutants swoop down to feed on the garbage.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our Inca dove facts and tufted titmouse facts pages.You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable lesser adjutant coloring pages.

What type of animal is a lesser adjutant?

The lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) is a stork belonging to the family Ciconiidae and genus Leptoptilos.

Fun Lesser Adjutant Facts For Kids

What do they prey on? Reptiles, fish, frogs, large invertebrates, rodents, and small mammals

What do they eat? Carnivore

Average litter size? 2-4 eggs

How much do they weigh? 8.8-12.6 lb (4-5.71 kg)

How long are they? 34–37 in (87–93 cm)

How tall are they? 43–47 in (110–120 cm)

What do they look like? White body, black wings, a long bill

Skin Type Feathers

What were their main threats? Loss Of Nesting Habitat, Conversion, Degradation Of Wetlands, Agricultural Changes

What is their conservation status? Vulnerable

Where you’ll find them? Freshwater Wetlands, Large Rivers And Lakes, Coastal Wetlands Like Mudflats And Mangroves

Locations India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand And Indonesia

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Leptoptilos

Class Aves

Family Ciconiidae

Fun Lesser Adjutant Facts For Kids

What do they prey on? Reptiles, fish, frogs, large invertebrates, rodents, and small mammals

What do they eat? Carnivore

Average litter size? 2-4 eggs

How much do they weigh? 8.8-12.6 lb (4-5.71 kg)

How long are they? 34–37 in (87–93 cm)

How tall are they? 43–47 in (110–120 cm)

What do they look like? White body, black wings, a long bill

Skin Type Feathers

What were their main threats? Loss Of Nesting Habitat, Conversion, Degradation Of Wetlands, Agricultural Changes

What is their conservation status? Vulnerable

Where you’ll find them? Freshwater Wetlands, Large Rivers And Lakes, Coastal Wetlands Like Mudflats And Mangroves

Locations India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand And Indonesia

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Leptoptilos

Class Aves

Family Ciconiidae

Fun Lesser Adjutant Facts For Kids

What do they prey on? Reptiles, fish, frogs, large invertebrates, rodents, and small mammals

What do they eat? Carnivore

Average litter size? 2-4 eggs

How much do they weigh? 8.8-12.6 lb (4-5.71 kg)

How long are they? 34–37 in (87–93 cm)

How tall are they? 43–47 in (110–120 cm)

What do they look like? White body, black wings, a long bill

Skin Type Feathers

What were their main threats? Loss Of Nesting Habitat, Conversion, Degradation Of Wetlands, Agricultural Changes

What is their conservation status? Vulnerable

Where you’ll find them? Freshwater Wetlands, Large Rivers And Lakes, Coastal Wetlands Like Mudflats And Mangroves

Locations India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand And Indonesia

Kingdom Animalia

Genus Leptoptilos

Class Aves

Family Ciconiidae