Black-Necked Stork

The black-necked stork is a beautiful stork we saw in Kaziranga NP in Assam, India. I saw one in good light with flourescent reddish/orange legs and a black head, neck and feathers with a glossy bluish-black iridescence. It is intriguing that its closest relative is the saddle-billed stork which is my very favorite. The black-necked stork may come in second. I find it fun that one photo of it on Wikipedia was taken in Kaziranga.

The black eyes indicate this is a male.

Wikipedia describes it as follows: "Adults have a glossy bluish-black iridescent head, neck, secondary flight feathers and tail; a coppery-brown crown; a bright white back and belly; bill black with a slightly concave upper edge; and bright red legs. The sexes are identical but the adult female has a yellow iris while the adult male has it brown. Juveniles younger than six months have a brownish iris; a distinctly smaller and straighter beak; a fluffy appearance; brown head, neck, upper back, wings and tail; a white belly; and dark legs. Juveniles older than six months have a mottled appearance especially on the head and neck where the iridescence is partly developed; dark-brown outer primaries; white inner primaries that forms a shoulder patch when the wings are closed; a heavy beak identical in size to adults but still straighter; and dark to pale-pink legs. Like most storks, the black-necked stork flies with the neck outstretched, not retracted like a heron. In flight it appears spindly and a black bar running through the white wings (the somewhat similar looking migratory black stork has an all black wing) with black neck and tail make it distinctive."

Black-necked stork range - Wikipedia

There are two sub-species, one in Australia and portions of New Guinea and one in portions of  South Asia and Southeast Asia. 

A parent feeding a baby in a nest.

Two babies in the nest.

The yellow eyes indicate this is a female.