Painted storks rely on their wetland environments to survive. In the water, the birds will open their beaks and wave them back and forth to catch small fish. As they wade through the water, they stir up fish along the way. Painted storks usually live in colonies and use nearby trees to build nesting sites. They can often be seen gliding on currents of warm air rising from the water.
While the painted stork is not currently endangered, it is marked as a near-threatened species, and its population has been in decline. The decline is likely due to habitat encroachment as well as poaching. As populations expand in South and Southeast Asia, important wetland habitats are being destroyed to make room for urbanization and agriculture. Keoladeo National Park is an important protected habitat area not only for the painted stork but for many migratory bird species who travel from as far away as Siberia during the winter.
