THE BIRDS OF NORTHERN THAILAND 45 



DISSOURA EPISCOPUS EPISCOPUS (Boddaert) 



Indian White-necked Stork 



Ardea Episcopus Boddaert, Table des planches enlumineez d'histoire naturelle, 



1783, p. 54 (Coromandel coast, ex D'Aubenton, pi. 906). 

 Dissoura episcopa episcopa, de Schauensee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 



1934, p. 279 (Chiang Saen). 



The white-necked stork has reached northern Thailand from the 

 South by way of the Mae Khong basin, and, while it is widely dis- 

 tributed over the plains of Chiang Rai, it has been prevented by the 

 surrounding mountain barriers from extending its range into the 

 other provinces. A specimen was taken by de Schauensee at Chiang 

 Saen in February 1933, and another by me at Muang Fang in July 

 1936. I also saw this bird north of Wiang Pa Pao in April 1929, on 

 the plains between Muang Thoeng and Chiang Rai in May 1936, and 

 on the marsh at Mae Chai during the same month. 



It is normally a solitary bird, but where conditions are satisfactory 

 many individuals may be seen at once. It is conspicuous at the mar- 

 gins of the large "pong" and may also be found in the ricefields after 

 the harvest, especially at marshy spots. During the heat of the day 

 it spends much of its time roosting in neighboring trees. When 

 alarmed it may fly directly out of sight but quite often rises into the 

 air and, beyond gunshot, begins to sail in wide circles overhead, 

 gradually ascending with scarcely a visible motion of the wings until 

 lost to the eye in the brilliant sunshine. 



This stork is not likely to be confused with any other species. It 

 has the crown and whole body black; the neck (covered with short, 

 woolly feathers), tail, and lower abdomen white. 



CICONIA NIGRA (Linnaeus) 



Black Stork 



[Ardea] nigra Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 10, vol. 1, 1758, p. 142 ("in Europa 

 boreali" ; type locality restricted to Sweden, apud Peters). 



The status of this stork is uncertain ; it is perhaps a regular winter 

 vistor to the Mae Khong basin. It was discovered by Delacour and 

 Greenway on the Mae Khong during the winter of 1938-39; they 

 reported (L'Oiseau et la Revue Francaise d'Ornithologie, 1940, p. 26) 

 seeing a flock of 17 on a large sandbank in the river about 20 km. 

 below Ban Huai Sai, Laos, December 27, and finding them again at 

 the same spot, January 20. In addition, a solitary bird was observed 

 along the river between Ban Nam Khuang and Huai Sai, January 19. 

 Otherwise there are no records for this species in the Indo-Chinese 

 countries. 



