Assam Exotic Adjutant Stork Notebook

The Hargila or the Greater Adjutant Stork, named after an adjutant (military officer) because of its stately manner and habit of standing motionless for long periods of time, is a carnivore and scavenger. A migratory bird, the greater adjutant formerly found in South and Southeast Asia, and now restricted to just two small and separate breeding populations; one in Assam, India and one in Cambodia, also visits Vietnam, Thailand and Burma when not breeding. But loss of nesting habitat and feeding sites has had a huge impact as suitable wetland habitats are cleared, drained, polluted and disturbed by humans. These birds have been called ugly but they are symbols of Assam and their decline is a reflection on the sad state of environmental affairs of the region.