Asian Openbill

Begur Kere, Karnataka

Back in West Bengal, we used to see a lot of Open-bill Storks in the Rajarhat area. In Bangalore, we don't see them as much. These birds need shallow water to find crustaceans or snails, which Begur Lake provides. That’s why we see this bird in flocks, searching for food. It’s fascinating how they find snails by dipping half of their beak into the water. Once they catch their food, they hold it in the open part of their bill and fly away to a safer spot to eat peacefully. Generally, when a stork catches something, other storks try to snatch it, avoiding the hard work of hunting. Open-bill Storks are no exception.