Upeh oi!

Upeh Sawah
Painted Stork
Mycteria leucocephala

The last time I took these bird pics was in february 08. it is this bird that sparks my interest in birding. Well, these painted stork (upeh sawah) colony still roost at the island at the lake. Dont know if they breed there? altough some juveniles are present. Do they stay for the night? I tought so, but havent confirm.. have to go during night to confirm.

It seems the birds are completely at ease at the island even with the humans around. Maybe they are from zoo negara. There is a lot of painted storks free flying there. well cannot be confirmed for sure, maybe the authorities taking care of the Shah Alam lakes can give the answer. But I'm sure the birds are safe there, visitor cannot go to the island so nobody can poach or disturb the birds.

If you see in the picture, the bird in the left is a painted stork juvenile based on the brownish feathers. The pinkish feathers not fully visible. Compare them to the adult bird at the right side.

How about the bird in the middle? To me, it looks much like a milky stork. I have compared them to pics I took at zoo negara in the aviary.

Milky Storks(Upeh Bakau) are considered a red alert species in Malaysia. In a survey in Oct 2004, there are less than 10 birds at Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary. perhaps this is a bird who got lost and joined this painted stork colony. Perhaps from nearby Kuala Selangor Milky Stork rehabilitation program.

Upeh Bakau
Milky Stork
Myceteria cinerea

But there is no band at the feet which indicates it is a wild bird. No black feather at the breast and no pinkish feathers to indicate its a hybrid. Some say, only a DNA test can be done to confirm it a pure milky stork. For now, I will say its a milky stork until some expert came foward and say its a hybrid painted stork.