Asian Openbill

Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert, 1783)

≈81 cmLength1.6 kgWeight

This stork has a gap in the middle of the closed bill as an adult and feeds mainly on mollusks such as snails.

Busiest months: December–February · Most records: India, Thailand, Sri Lanka

Looks like White Stork, Oriental Stork

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Adult has a distinct gap when the bill is closed
Wings and tail glossy black
Whitish in the breeding season, grayish in the non-breeding season
Short legs and feet pinkish-gray, becoming reddish before breeding

Male, female and young

Juvenile lacks the bill gap and is brownish-gray overall, with a browner back.

Voice

Usually quiet; during mating, male clicks its bill against female's bill, and gives a low vocalization to greet its mate returning to the nest.

Similar species

White Stork

Very similar at a distance; at close range, adult Asian Openbill has a distinct gap when its bill is closed.

Oriental Stork

Very similar at a distance; at close range, adult Asian Openbill has a distinct gap when its bill is closed.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: December–February · Most records: India, Thailand, Sri Lanka

Asian Openbill has been recorded at 561 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 14 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Bharatpur – Keoladeo Ghana NPIndia2,023 records
Baruipur MarshesIndia1,886 records
Rabindra SarovarIndia1,522 records

More places

Lat Krabang – Thap Yao paddies & aquaculture pondsThailand1,315 records
Haiderpur Wetlands and Bijnor BarrageIndia1,236 records
Ranganathittu Bird SanctuaryIndia1,140 records
Benjakiti ParkThailand1,133 records
Stanley Reservoir – Pannavadi, MetturIndia1,084 records
Ujani Dam – Kumbhargaon Bird SanctuaryIndia1,070 records
Yala National ParkSri Lanka1,069 records

Countries and regions with the most records

India Thailand Sri Lanka Cambodia Nepal Bangladesh Malaysia Singapore

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Asian openbill or Asian openbill stork (Anastomus oscitans) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. This distinctive stork is found mainly in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is greyish or white with glossy black wings and tail.

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