<b>First record of the Woolly-necked Stork <I>Ciconia episcopus</I> Boddaert, 1783 (Aves: Ciconiiformes: Ciconiidae) breeding in the lowland wet zone of Sri Lanka</b>

Abstract

The Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus is a resident bird species commonly found breeding in the dry lowlands of Sri Lanka, preferably nesting in remote areas with minimal disturbance, although the breeding and nesting behavior has not yet been adequately documented. Here we report its nesting behavior, for the first time in lowland wet zone Sri Lanka, from Thalagolla, Beddawela in Kegalle District. Although its usual breeding season is in the dry zone from February to March with a second breeding cycle from November to early January, here we report breeding in the lowland wet zone from July–October in 2013–2014. Further, it was interesting to note presumably the same couple of birds used the same nest in 2014 with minimum renovation. In 2015 the nest had disintegrated and fallen due to continuous heavy rain and there have been no records till June 2016. Breeding was again recorded from June–September in 2016 with a new nest in a different platform of twigs in the same tree.

Keywords

• Breeding
• first record
• Sri Lanka
• wet zone
• Woolly-necked Stork.