The Economic Times

5ft tall, 7ft wingspan and a striking black-and-white body: IAS officer shares video of black-necked stork. Why is this giant bird Near Threatened?

IAS officer Sanjay Kumar recently shared a video of the black-necked stork, highlighting its impressive height of nearly 5ft and wingspan exceeding 7ft. The striking wetland bird feeds on fish, frogs, snakes and crustaceans in shallow waters. According to Animal Diversity Web, it is solitary, territorial and non-migratory. Listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, the species faces habitat destruction, wetland drainage, pollution, hunting, overfishing, nest disturbance and collisions with electricity wires, despite some stable regional populations.