Leptoptilus

Thesaurus

Noun

Leptoptilus - adjutant birds and marabous genus Leptoptilusbird genus - a genus of birdsCiconiidae, family Ciconiidae - storksadjutant bird, adjutant stork, Leptoptilus dubius, adjutant - large Indian stork with a military gaitLeptoptilus crumeniferus, marabou, marabou stork, marabout - large African black-and-white carrion-eating stork; its downy underwing feathers are used to trim garments

Leptoptilus

enUK

Leptoptilus

a genus of birds of the family Ciconiidae of the order Ciconiiformes. The birds stand 110-150 cm high and have a wingspread of up to 3 m. The head and neck are covered with sparse down. The back is black or dark gray and the underparts are white. There is a naked pouch on the throat, which is absent in the lesser adjutant stork.

The genus comprises three species: the African adjutant stork, or marabou (L. crumeniferus), of tropical Africa and the greater adjutant stork (L. dubius) and the lesser adjutant stork (L. javanicus) of Southeast Asia and India. The Leptoptilus nest in colonies in high trees or cliffs near marshes. Two to four eggs are laid per clutch, and both parents incubate the eggs for about one month. After the nesting period, the birds migrate to populated areas, where they function as scavengers, destroying, as do the vultures, all manner of refuse and carrion. The marabou often lives with lions and eats the remains of their prey. In addition to carrion, the Leptoptilus eat any animal food. The lesser adjutant stork lives in pairs and stays away from human habitations.

Leptoptilus

Leptoptilus

Leptoptilus

Leptoptilus

Synonyms for Leptoptilus

noun adjutant birds and marabous

Synonyms

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