Birds Around Me 0166 - Asian Openbill (घुंगिल)

Birds Around Me 0166 - Asian Openbill (घुंगिल) - Anastomus oscitans

- August 18, 2018

Taken on June 26, 2018
Location: Sanjivini Nagar, Jabalpur, India (Latitude: 23.172826, Longitude: 79.881881)

Asian Openbill (घुंगिल) - Anastomus oscitans

Asian Openbill (घुंगिल) - Anastomus oscitans (75 cm), is predominantly greyish (non-breeding season) or white (breeding season) with glossy black wings and tail that have a green or purple sheen. The name is derived from the distinctive gap formed between the re-curved lower and arched upper mandible of the beak in adult birds. Young birds do not have this gap. The cutting edges of the mandible have a fine brush-like structure that is thought to give them a better grip on the shells of snails.

Identification: bill shape, plumage white tinged grey, black tail in flight

Bird Facts: In colonial India, sportsmen shot the openbill for meat, calling it the "beef-steak bird"

Where: Marshes, jheels, flooded fields.

Birds Around Me - Unfinished List (अपूर्ण सूची)