India GO
Asian openbill
घोंघिल (ghonghil)
A greyish-white stork whose closed bill still shows a gap in the middle: a tool shaped for prising open apple snails.
How to recognise it
The gap between the mandibles is visible at surprising distance through binoculars. Openbills soar in loose flocks on thermals over wet fields.
Where to see it
Hyderabad
Openbill colonies settle inside villages, in mango and tamarind trees over houses, and are generally left alone by the households below.
Ameenpur Lake · Osman Sagar (Gandipet Lake) (often) · Durgam Cheruvu (Secret Lake) (in season)
Kolkata
Openbill colonies settle inside villages, in mango and tamarind trees over houses, and are generally left alone by the households below.
Chintamoni Kar Bird Sanctuary · Eco Park (Prakriti Tirtha) (often)
Mayapur
Openbill colonies settle in the tall trees of Nadia villages, directly over houses, and the households below generally leave them alone, which is why the birds are so easy to see here.
Bethuadahari Wildlife Sanctuary
Ujjain
Openbill colonies settle inside villages, in mango and tamarind trees over houses, and are generally left alone by the households below.
Undasa Lake · Vishnu Sagar Lake · Shipra River and Shri Ram Ghat (often)