Leptoptilos falconeri (SciiFii)

The goliath adjutant (Leptoptilos falconeri), also known as the goliath stork, is a species of large-bodied Leptoptilini stork that originally existed during the Pliocene, having persisted until just over 2.58 million years ago, and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced throughout the modern rainforests, wetlands, forests, open woodlands, grasslands, and shrublands across southern, southeastern, and eastern Asia to help boost biodiversity, although there are self-sustaining breeding populations of goliath adjutants that have recently established themselves in southwestern and western United States, as well as western Mexico, for reasons yet to be determined, although most likely a result of escaped zoo animals from a few decades earlier. The goliath adjutant is the largest known species of stork and amongst the tallest and heaviest flying birds known to have existed, reaching on average of around 2 meters (6 feet 7 inches) in height and weigh 20 kilograms (44 lbs), even larger than the giant adjutant (Leptoptilos robustus). Much like the giant adjutant, the goliath adjutant has limited flying abilities (though, unlike the giant adjutant, it is capable of longer-distance flight), as it has reduced forelimb size relative to its otherwise oversized, robust skeletal structure, and it has a strongly terrestrial lifestyle. Like the other stork species of the genus Leptoptilos, the goliath adjutant can forage extensively in open areas, switching between the lifestyle of being a scavenger on carrion, unlike many other storks, and then alternating usually to more nutritious small, live prey such as fish and invertebrates when feeding its nestlings. Due to the goliath adjutant's much larger sizes and limited flight, this facilitates a more cursorial foraging style and more active predation on sometimes substantial prey. Like most storks, the goliath adjutant is gregarious and a colonial breeder. In the Asian dry season or during the summer in the species' feral range in North America (when food is more readily available as the pools shrink), it builds a tree nest in which two or three eggs are laid. It is known to be quite ill-tempered. It also resembles other storks in that it is not very vocal, but indulges in bill-rattling courtship displays. The throat sac is also used to make various noises at that time. The goliath adjutant breeds in colonies, starting during the dry season (in their native Asian range) or during the late summer (in their nonnative range in North America). The female lays two to three eggs in a small nest made of sticks; eggs hatch after an incubation period of 30 days. Their young reach sexual maturity at 4 years of age. Lifespan is 43 years in captivity and 25 years in wild. The conservation status of the goliath adjutant is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts and the goliath adjutant's wide range.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii