NEW DELHI: The Black-necked stork, wetland-dependent species native to India, is known to be very choosy in making its nest and laying not more than two eggs. But it is showing some uncommon breeding habits this year. Ecologist have spotted a black-necked stork with four growing up chicks in the Sultanpur National Park and with two young chicks in the Surajpur Reserve Forest.
“The number of these birds is decreasing day by day. Their breeding is rare. Black-necked storks do it only when they find it safe. Their nests are bigger and they won’t make one unless they are fully satisfied. Usually, they are known for breeding two chicks. But this time, after a long gap, it has given birth to four,” said ecologist T K Roy who spotted them at both sites.
This species is usually seen on the wetlands in the NCR. As per IUCN status, it’s global population is decreasing due to habitat loss, overfishing, overgrazing, hunting, encroachment of agriculture land and felling of nest trees. As per Birdlife International, its estimated global population is 15,000 mature individual pairs to 35,000 individuals total and its classified as NT category of IUCN Red-listed threatened bird species since 2004.
“They builds huge nests with sticks, leaves, grasses and breed in isolated, secure places at the top of big trees near wetland during post monsoon to autumn season in northern India. They usually lays 2-3 eggs but its nesting and breeding is uncommon,” Roy added. There have been only two recordings of successful breeding by these birds in Delhi-NCR since 2017.
While a pair of black-necked stork built its nest and breed successfully on a date palm tree in Surajpur, one pair of these birds nested atop an Acacia tree in Sultanpur. “The 2020 post monsoon-autumn season has seen a very interesting record of successful breeding of a pair of black-necked stork in the Sultanpur National Park with rare four chicks on the nest and another successful breeding with two chicks in the Surajpur Reserve Forest,” Roy noted.