Admiring the rare flock of woolly-necked storks returning to Vietnam’s only dry dipterocarp forest

On October 7, according to Mr. Vu Duc Gioi – Deputy Director of the Environmental Education and Service Center, Yok Don National Park, the flock of woolly-necked storks flew into the park’s territory to forage on the morning of October 6. They gathered at a grassy area near the Dak Rang stream within the national park.

Immediately after discovering the flock of birds, the unit directed forces to step up patrols and vigilance to promptly prevent illegal intrusion and hunting.

Mr. Y Siem H’Dok, a guide at the Environmental Education and Service Center (Yok Don National Park), shared that at around 9:00 AM on October 6, while leading tourists on an elephant experience in the dry dipterocarp forest, he unexpectedly spotted the flock of woolly-necked storks.

The flock of 9 woolly-necked storks descended onto the grassy area near the Dak Rang stream in the national park to forage. This is the largest number of woolly-necked storks recorded in this area in recent times.

According to Mr. Y Siem, about 3 months ago, woolly-necked storks also appeared here, but only a few scattered individuals were recorded.

Woolly-necked storks belong to Group IB, a group of forest animals facing severe threats of extinction, prioritized for protection and strictly prohibited from exploitation and use for commercial purposes.

The average height is from 75-92cm. The most distinctive feature is the neck covered with a soft, white downy layer of feathers that fluff up like a cotton strip. The crown of the head has a black “cap”, and the entire body and wings are black with a shimmering purple or green sheen.

In Vietnam, woolly-necked storks have been recorded appearing sporadically in several nature reserves and national parks in the South and the Central Highlands (such as Yok Don National Park, Ma Da Nature Reserve).

The behavior of woolly-necked storks is usually solitary, in pairs, or in small family groups (rarely gathering into large flocks). Their food consists of small fish, frogs, reptiles, large insects, crabs, snails, and aquatic invertebrates.

Yok Don National Park has a rich flora and fauna system with more than 1,000 plant species, 650 animal species including 92 mammal species, 55 reptile species, over 370 bird species, and nearly 440 insect species.

Among these animals, more than 40 mammal species, over 20 bird species, and several rare reptile species are listed in the Vietnam Red Data Book. Notably, among the more than 370 bird species, there are endemic birds of the dry dipterocarp forest.

Reference source: tienphong.vn