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The Painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala) is a bird found in India, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Wetlands and lakes across South and Southeast Asia. It eats fish, insects and other small invertebrates and reptiles and frogs. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.

🏡 Where the Painted stork lives

Wetlands and lakes across South and Southeast Asia.

🍽️ What it eats

• 🐟 Fish60%
• 🐛 Insects & bugs20%
• 🦎 Reptiles & frogs20%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

Hear the Painted stork

Recorded by David Farrow (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0), xeno-canto XC37574. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Painted stork

Where does the Painted stork live?

The Painted stork lives in India, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Wetlands and lakes across South and Southeast Asia.

What does the Painted stork eat?

fish (about 60%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 20%), reptiles and frogs (about 20%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Painted stork endangered?

Not in danger yet, but it could be soon. Its IUCN Red List category is Near Threatened.

More birds from Asia

• Ashy drongo
• Jungle myna
• Oriental magpie
• Taiwan barbet
• Indian pied myna
• Indian roller

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.