While birding at the Byron Wetlands recently I was taken by surprise by an adult pair of Black-necked Storks when they flew into my field of view with the female in close vigorous pursuit of the male holding an eel in his powerful bill - clearly the female was after the eel. After approximately 40 seconds the female gave up the chase and the male found a quiet place to himself to swallow the catch. I assumed the male caught the eel however it is possible she caught the eel and he snatched it from her and she was chasing him to retrieve what was rightfully hers.
Please click on photos to enlarge.
The chase shots were over exposed as I did not have time to make camera adjustments during the hectic chase. Bright sunshine easily results in over exposure of the Stork’s brilliant white plumage.
The male having downed the fish flew off to re-join the female. I found them together in an adjoining pond.
The male, with dark eyes, looked content having just consumed a good sized eel meal.
The female, with yellow eyes, was restless and soon commenced stalking for a meal.
She looked to have found a catch when she probed and stabbed several times with her enormous bill in one spot. I took several shots of her stabbing in the hope she might come up with a prey item however following no result she flew off to join the male.
Adult Black-necked Storks pair for several years and may even bond for life. I have encountered single male birds at the Byron Wetland before – it was great to find a pair this time and witness them interacting.
Sexual dimorphism in many species of birds is readily apparent with striking plumage and sometimes size differences between males and females. In Black-necked Storks the male and female look very similar except that the male is a little taller than the female and the sexes have different eye colour. Eye colour dimorphism is not that common in birds.