Painted Stork - a rare visitor to Japan

[David in Miyazaki]

Saw this yesterday, 21st Feb 2008, here just north of the city of Miyazaki, Kyushu, Japan. I have checked with all my Japanese birds books, and could not find it in any. I checked with the Wild Bird Society of Japan in Oita Prefecture, and it was not listed on their list. So it will be interesting to see what comes of this. Three photos in my photo album. Sorry about the quality. The sun was in the wrong angle, but had no choice as I wanted some photographic record. Scientific name. Mycteria leucocephala

http://surfbirds.com/albums/showphoto.php?photo=5845

[AndyB]

Hi David, well done. No idea of status of this bird in Japan but perhaps Forktail or someone else can enlighten us or pass on your sighting to local birders.

[lostinjapan]

Hello David.

My name is Sean Minns. I am an ex-pat British birder and have been living in Hiroshima for the last 10 years.

Painted Stork is an exceedingly rare bird NE Asia. The relict population in Eastern China is thought extinct and only occassional wandering birds presumably from neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam are seen in China these days.

If this wew a wild bird, this would be a first for Japan. However, given it's rarity even in it's existing range, the fact it is a short-distance migrant the chances are higher of it being an escapee.

I hope you don't mind, but I put links to your images on Kantori, an English-language forum for birders n Japan, as it i such a rare bird.

If possible I would like to know the exact location of the bird, so that I can pass on the information to Local Japanese birders throough mutual contacts. So if you don't object, could you PM details to me, thanks.

Happy Birding

Sean Minns

Hiroshima:smile:

Sean

[AndyB]

Hi Sean, thanks for posting. Do let us know if anyone else gets out to see this bird and if opinion still favors an escapee. Best, Andy

[markharper]

Given the low vagrancy potential and the fact that in the original ID post David reported the bird has a damaged wing, I think this one will struggle to get accepted as a wild bird.

This photo in David's gallery shows quite a few misplaced feathers.

http://surfbirds.com/albums/showphoto.php?photo=5845&size=big

[David in Miyazaki]

The likelihood of it being an escapee is high. I have checked with the Phoenix Zoo here in Miyazaki, and they do have one Painted Stork. I am waiting for a reply back from them to ask whether it is free range or not. The tail feathers were damaged. The coordinates on Google Earth are 32°02'03.26"N 131°29'58.66"E
The location in North Miyazaki city is at the Hitotsuse River estuary the right entrance to Iwakawa guchi the southern water gate in the filed immediately south on the sea side of the stream. Minami Sadowara cho Shimo Tomita.
一ツ瀬川右岩川口南水門の近く（南佐土原町下富田）

I did get in touch with the Oita Japan Wild Bird Society, and they say that a similar siting was seen in the vicinity in November last year.

[David in Miyazaki]

I have just had confirmation back from the zoo to say it does belong to them and is free flying. So that is our answer I guess. But it was certainly nice to see a different bird in the wild from the usual herons and egrets, although there are a number of black-faced spoonbills in the area at the moment wintering.