Ruddy Shelduck

This morning I read several articles about President Trump's son, Don, Jr., shooting some rare ducks in Italy. For example, Newsweek noted, "Footage published by Field Ethos—a brand co-founded by Trump Jr.—shows him shooting ducks in the Venice Lagoon. In the video, Trump Jr. points out an orange duck, remarking, 'This is actually a rather uncommon duck for the area, not even sure what it is in English, but incredible shoot.' Andrea Zanoni, a regional councilor in Veneto, said the footage shows Trump Jr. with the body of a rare ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea), a species protected by Italian law. 'This is a species protected throughout Europe by the EU Birds Directive and, of course, by Italian law, which criminally punishes its killing and possession,' he said." Donald Trump, Jr. Responds to Accusations of Killing Protected Duck, February 4, 2025. 

I saw a photo of the orange ducks and instantly recognized the ruddy shelducks I'd seen in Kaziranga NP in Assam, India in December. They were beautiful and I never tired of seeing them, although they were quite common. In fact, we saw them in each of the four ranges in Kaziranga. I'd never heard of them prior to our trip. Wikipedia notes, "The male has orange-brown body plumage and a paler, orange-brown head and neck, separated from the body by a narrow black collar. The rump, flight feathers, tail-coverts and tail feathers are black and there are iridescent green speculum feathers on the inner surfaces of the wings. Both upper and lower wing-coverts are white, this feature being particularly noticeable in flight but hardly visible when the bird is at rest. The bill is black and the legs are dark grey. The female is similar but has a rather pale, whitish head and neck and lacks the black collar, and in both sexes, the colouring is variable and fades as the feathers age. The birds moult at the end of the breeding season and the male loses the black collar, but a further partial moult between December and April restores it. Juveniles are similar to the female but are a darker shade of brown." Wikipedia also notes that it is migratory, wintering in the "Indian subcontinent" (which includes India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka) and breeds in eastern Europe and central Asia. The IUCN rates it of "Least Concern," but populations in Europe are generally in decline, but rising in central and eastern Asia. 

This appears to be a female, left, and male, right. 

Pallas's Fish-Eagle

When our guide in Kaziranga NP called our attention to a Pallas's fish-eagle, I'd surprisingly heard of it before. When we visited Botswana years before I recalled reading about sightings of this eagle which were very unusual for that area. That peaked my interest at this time. 

It is a bird of prey of Asia, including Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh. It is rare and isolated throughout its range and is rated Endangered by the IUCN. 

This nesting Pallas's fish-eagle was found in the Central Range of Kaziranga. My other photos of it are very blurry. 

Wikipedia describes it as having a, "light sandy-brown hood and a whitish face. The wings are darker brown and the back rufous. The long, slender wings (particularly slender for a sea eagle) are rather dark brown underneath. The tail is black with a wide, distinctive white stripe. Juveniles are overall darker, cooler brown with no band on the tail but with several pale areas on the wing, including the underwing coverts and inner primaries. This results in underwings that have a white band in young fish eagles. It takes until the 4th year or so to obtain adult plumage."

We saw this Pallas's fish-eagle in the Western Range of Kaziranga NP. 

It primarily eats freshwater fish. 

Crested Serpent-Eagle

In 2019 we visited Sri Lanka and saw a number of crested serpent-eagles. In December 2024 we saw a different subspecies in Assam, India. In the Eastern Range of Kaziranga NP was saw at least three. 

This was kind of a different look, the whole back of the head fluffed up. 

This and the next one look much more like what we saw in Sri Lanka. 

In the Central Range of Kaziranga we saw several in trees right next to the road. One photo, in particular, showed some hints of the back crest on the whole back of the head. 

It appears that the older birds have a black top and black on the front of the beak. 

Gray-Headed Fish-Eagle

In 2019 we saw one gray-headed fish-eagle in Bundala NP in Sri Lanka, but it was shielded by branches and we did not get a great look. In our recent trip to Kaziranga NP in Assam, India we saw several gray-headed fish-eagles and got excellent views.   

This range map from Birds of the World shows that the gray-headed fish-eagle is found in Asia, from parts of India through much of Indonesia. 

This is my favorite photo. We were in the Eastern Range and the eagle was very near to us and hardly moving. It lurched forward with hunched shoulders like a vulture. 

Two, also in the Eastern Range.

On the ground in the Western Range.

Lesser Adjutant

The third new stork for me was the lesser adjutant, a very ugly and primitive looking stork that looks like a chain saw massacre perpetrator. You wouldn't want to be left alone with it. It makes a turkey vulture look good, which is saying something. 

This was seen on the Western Range. It looks like it has been bloodied and scarred in a fight (going back to the chain saw massacre description). 

Wikipedia describes it as: "A large stork with an upright stance, a bare head and neck without a pendant pouch...The only confusable species is the greater adjutant [which we did not see], but this species is generally smaller and has a straight upper bill edge (culmen),...with a paler base and appears slightly trimmer and less hunch-backed. The skullcap is paler and the upper plumage is uniformly dark, appearing almost all black. The nearly naked head and neck have a few scattered hair-like feathers. The upper shank or tibia is grey rather than pink...The belly and undertail are white. Juveniles are a duller version of the adult but have more feathers on the nape. During the breeding season, the face is reddish and the neck is orange. The larger median wing coverts are tipped with copper spots and the inner secondary coverts and tertials have narrow white edging...Like others in the genus, they retract their necks in flight. In flight, the folded neck can appear like the pouch of the greater adjutant. Males and females appear similar in plumage but males tend to be larger and heavier billed."

Range from Birds of the World. Purple is year round (which includes Kaziranga NP) and light blue is breeding. 

Found on the Eastern Range.

All I can really say is, boy it is ugly. 

Asian Woolly-Necked Stork

A second new stork for me in Kaziranga NP in Assam, India was the Asian woolly-necked stork. There are two subspecies, one found in India, Indochina, the Malay peninsula, portions of Sri Lanka and the Philippines, and the other in portions of Indonesia, including South Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi  and the Lesser Sunda Islands.

Range of the Asian woolly-necked stork from Birds of the World. 

This was seen on the Western Range.

Wikipedia describes it as: "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 colored 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. It has long red legs and a heavy, blackish bill, though some specimens have largely dark-red bills with only the basal one-third being black. The iris is deep crimson or wine-red. Sexes are alike. Juvenile birds are duller versions of the adult with a feathered forehead that is sometimes streaked black-and-white."

These were seen on the Burhapahar Range.

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.