The Asian Openbill Stork
- Apr 5
- 2 min read
Earlier today, I was out skateboarding around my neighbourhood with my dad and Tilly. We were going around soaking in the hot (very hot) sun and enjoying ourselves when my dad suddenly shouted, “it’s a stork!” I ran as fast as I could with my skateboard in hand to the river and there I saw a tall grey bird walking along the river path. It had long, thin legs and was poking its beak into the grass looking for food. Then, in one flick of its neck, it threw a snail in the air and swallowed it.
I thought it was a stork since it really looked like the one I saw in River Wonders, but couldn’t be sure. After asking Claude and double checking with Google, we found out that it is the Asian Openbill Stork.
Stork vs herons
This stork’s main characteristics are its long, thin legs and long neck. It is a wading bird, meaning that while it can fly, it prefers to stay near rivers or streams looking for prey. When they hunt, they typically walk around, looking for insects, snails or even small fish near the river bank. Many get them mixed up with herons, who like storks have long legs and live by the river bank. The difference between the two is that herons have sharp dagger like beaks and skinnier bodies compared with the stork’s heavier build. Herons also are ambush predators, waiting for prey to come to them while storks can be seen walking around looking for prey.
Asian Openbills
The Asian Openbill Storks are not native to Singapore, and live in India and some parts of Southeast Asia in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. These birds migrate from these parts to Malaysia and Singapore during the dry seasons since their favourite food - the Apple Snail would be more difficult to find during these months. They visit only from December to March then go back to their homes up North, it sounds just like an annual holiday trip for them! I found out that they are not so commonly sighted, so I’m really thankful I saw one today. It is the first time I have ever seen one at the river so I hope that it will come back again next year!
Brave birds
These birds are prey for larger birds of prey like eagles or falcons. When I approached it to take a picture and video, it didn’t seem really bothered or scared by me. In fact, all it did was to look at me for a few seconds then continue its search for snails. Even the rustling of the grass from Tilly didn’t really bother the stork!
I certainly hope you spot them around before their migration periods ends. If not, wait until next year for when they return!
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