LESSON LEARNT

• Thought to have migrated originally from the Great Russian ice desert in Siberia

• They went south towards Asia, seeking warmer and more comfortable places of the world like India

• they seemed especially drawn to the Indian Peninsula

• They come to breed in and around large bodies of water and coastal areas.

• Painted Stork is a massive bird with a yellow,

long and heavy bill, slightly curved near the tip.

• The plumage is white and closely barred, marked

with glistening black above and with a black

band across the breast.

• A closer look brings in view spectacular ‘hunched

up’ colony of large birds.

• Built on tree one might find as many as 10-20

nests on a single tree, almost touching each

other.

• It’s wonderful but difficult to understand the bond between the painted storks from Siberia and Veerapuram, a tiny remote village in Anantapurdistrict, about 140 km from Bangalore.

• The Painted Storks have settled down in Veeepuram for more than a century now.

• The chemistry of love between the storks and Veerapuram is unfathomable as the birds are found nestled only on the trees within the village and not even on the outskirts.

• The villagers claim it is their "love for the

guest birds'' which keeps them in the

village. Though the village has a small

water body (a tank) it dries up by the time

the guests arrive in the village or it doesn't

get the water at all due to the poor rainfall

in the area

• Nestled in the village the male birds fly

even up to a couple of hundred km every

night to fetch food from the water bodies.

• However, they return to the nests by

dawn.

• The painted storks from Siberia and

Algeria fly across the seas and mainland

for about 6,000 km to reach Veerapuram.

• The migration starts from December and

ends in May-June when the birds return to

their homelands along with their new

borns.

• It is amazing to see and know that these

birds have chosen this village as their

breeding centre.

• It is presumed that because these villagers

take care of the birds by not harming them,

they repeatedly come every year.

• The Care and concern shown to these

birds by very enthusiastic children and the

old of the village was very evident.

• Behavior: Painted Storks are found mostly in large

colonies and stay near water.

• The nests, made up of sticks and leaves, are built

close to the edge of the water.

• One can see other stork species, like herons,

ibises, cormorants and spoonbills, sharing the

habitat with Painted storks.

• Till 18 months of age, the young ones can make

loud calls to attract their parents.

• However, after this, they lose their speech and use

other signals to convey something to their fellow

birds.

• Diet

• Painted storks of India prefer to eat fish, which also forms a major portion of their diet. However, at times, they consume frogs and snails also.

• When hunting, the stork puts its head inside the water, with its bill being partly open.

• The bird keeps swinging its head back and forth in the water, till it catches a prey.

• Predators

• The predators of Painted stork of India

include tigers, leopards, jungle cats,

hyenas and crocodiles.

• Some villagers also kill them for their

meet.

• Mating Behavior

• The breeding season of the Painted stork starts towards the end of the rainy season.

• The mating period is the time for the male storks to perform ritualistic displays and attract females.

• After mating, the nest is built and the female lays around 3 to 5 eggs.

• The incubation period is between 27 and 32 days and the responsibility is shared by the both the parents.

• The young ones become fully matured when they attain four years of age.

• Senses

• The most important as well as the most developed senses of the Painted stork comprise of its eyesight and hearing.

• The young ones communicate through loud hoarse call.

• However, after attaining 18 moths of age, the style of communication changes to clattering of large bills or hissing or bowing to each other or spreading the wings, etc.

• POSITIVE ATTITUDE

• CONFIDENCE

• CAREING AND SHARING

• ENDURANCE

• ADAPTABILITY

• COMMUNICATION

• TREATE THE GUEST WITH DIGNITY AND HONOUR

• WITH THE POSITIVE

ATTITUE ONE CAN

OVER COME ANY

HURRDLE IN LIFE.

• LIKE THESE BIRDS

FLYING ALMOST

6000 KMS FAR WAY

FROM HOMES IN

SEARCH OF

HATCHING PLACE

TO GIVE BIRTH TO

THEIR YOUNG

ONES.

• IF ONE HAVE

CONFIDENCE IN

LIFE ONE CAN

MOVE A MOUNTAIN.

• EVEN IN HOSTILE

CONDITION, IF ONE

HAVE CONFIDENCE

NOTHING IS

IMPOSSIBLE.

• IT IS ONLY THE CAREING AND LOVE OF THE VILLAGERS, ATTRACKED THESE BIRDS TO THIS PLACE EVERY YEAR.

• TRUE LOVE FURTHER STRENGTHENS TRUST, LIKE THE CHEMISTRY OF LOVE BETWEEN THESE BIRDS AND

• IT MAKE ONE WONDER WHO GAVE THE STRENGTH TO THIS TINY CREATURE TO FLY ALL THE WAY FROM SIBERIA 6000 KMS TO THIS UNKNOWN VILLAGE.

• HOW IT NAVIGATE THE ROUTE, WHERE HUMAN BEING NEED GPS TO EXPLORE UNKNOWN LAND.

• THE MIGRATORY BIRDS FINDS THIS TINY VILLAGE A HAVEN FOR BREEING ITS NEW ONES.

• EVEN AS HUMAN BEING ONE HAVE RESERVATION, APPREHENSION ABOUT THE FOREIGN LAND, BUT THESE TINY CREATURES ADAPT ITSELF TO THE NEW ENVIRONMENT FOR

• THEIR WAY OF COMMUNICATION IS ALSO UNIQUE.

• TILL 18 MONTHS OF AGE, THE YOUNG ONES CAN MAKE LOUD CALLS TO ATTRACT THEIR PARENTS.

• HOWEVER, AFTER THIS, THEY LOSE THEIR SPEECH AND USE OTHER SIGNALS TO CONVEY SOMETHING TO THEIR FELLOW BIRDS.

• IT PROVES NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION ALSO HELPS TO SURVIVE IN LIFE

• THE VILLAGERS PROVE TO THE WORLD TO TREAT THE GUEST WITH OPEN HEART. THIS BONAGE ONLY BRINGS FOREIGN GUESTS YEAR AFTER YEAR.

• THE CHEMISTRY OF LOVE BETWEEN THE BIRDS AND THE VILLAGERS ARE REALLY FACINATING

WHAT MORE

LESSONS HUMAN

BEING NEEDS TO

LEARN FROM THIS

WONDERFUL

CREATURE