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Painted Storks Join Feathered Friends at Brooklyn's Prospect Park Zoo

Credit Julie Larsen Maher / World Conservation Society
/
World Conservation Society
One of two painted storks that now live at Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn, New York.
Painted storks are from Asia, and have been dwindling in numbers.

Two painted storks are making their public debut at Brooklyn's Prospect Park Zoo, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. 

In a WCS photo, the bird looks like it's wearing a fuzzy white hoodie pulled over its orange head.

The large wading birds are native to tropical regions of Asia. 

They have black, white, and pink wing feathers, orange beaks, and pink legs. The rest of their plumage is mostly white.

The painted storks are among the feathered friends in the zoo's Discovery Trail aviary.

Painted storks are dwindling in numbers. They're regarded as "near threatened" as a population. Hunting, wetland drainage, and pollution are the main threats. The birds prefer freshwater marshes and flooded fields, as well as tidal areas and lakes.

The WCS said in a press release that it works to conserve landscapes in Asia that host painted storks and other critical wildlife populations.

Credit Raghunath Thirumalaisamy / Creative Commons
/
Creative Commons

This report includes information from The Associated Press.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.