CreatureData

Greater adjutant

Leptoptilos dubius (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)

NTNear Threatenedbirds

The greater adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius) is a species in the family Ciconiidae, order Ciconiiformes. Recorded adults weigh about 9.05 kg and live up to 43 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened.

Greater adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius)
Photo: Yathin sk at English Wikipedia · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the greater adjutant

Weight
9.05 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
43 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
wetlandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2.8 – 3.25src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the greater adjutant

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Greater adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius)
The original uploader was Djshal at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the greater adjutant live?

Not recorded

What is the greater adjutant?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The greater adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius) is a member of the stork family, Ciconiidae. Its genus includes the lesser adjutant of Asia and the marabou stork of Africa. Once found widely across southern Asia and mainland southeast Asia, the greater adjutant is now restricted to a much smaller range with only three breeding populations; two in India, one in the north-eastern state of Assam and a smaller one around Bhagalpur; and another breeding population in Cambodia. They disperse widely after the breeding season. This large stork has a massive wedge-shaped bill, a bare head and a distinctive neck pouch. During the day, it soars in thermals along with vultures with whom it shares the habit of scavenging. They feed mainly on carrion and offal; however, they are opportunistic and will sometimes prey on vertebrates. The English name is derived from their stiff "military" gait when walking on the ground (see adjutant). Large numbers once lived in Asia, but they have declined (possibly due to improved sanitation) to the point of endangerment. The total population in 2008 was estimated at around a thousand individuals. In the 19th century, they were especially common in the city of Calcutta, where they were referred to as the "Calcutta adjutant" and included in the coat of arms for the city. Known locally as hargila (derived from the Assamese words har, 'bone', and gila, 'swallower', thus 'bone-swallower') and considered to be unclean birds, they were largely left undisturbed but sometimes hunted for the use of their meat in folk medicine. Valued as scavengers, they were once depicted in the logo of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation.

From the Wikipedia article “Greater adjutant” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greater_adjutant&oldid=1382664121), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the greater adjutant endangered?

The greater adjutant is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species. What the categories mean.

How is the greater adjutant classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderCiconiiformes
  5. familyCiconiidae
  6. genusLeptoptilos
  7. SpeciesLeptoptilos dubius (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)

Synonyms Ardea argala, Ardea argotala, Ardea dubia, Ciconia marabou, Leptoptilus dubius

Other names and names in other languages (55)
  • GrootadjutantAfrikaans
  • أبو سعن الكبيرArabic
  • Голям индийски щъркелBulgarian
  • হাড়গিলাBangla
  • Marabou argalaBreton
  • marabú caragrocCatalan
  • marabu indickýCzech
  • ciconia mawr IndiaWelsh
  • AdjudantDanish
  • Adjudant (fugl)Danish
  • ArgalamarabuGerman
  • AdjutantGerman
  • Großer AdjutantGerman
  • Argala marabuoEsperanto
  • hindia marabuoEsperanto
  • Marabú argalaSpanish
  • india marabu (argala)Estonian
  • استخوانخور بزرگPersian
  • assaminmarabuFinnish
  • Marabout argalaFrench
  • מרבו ענקHebrew
  • धेनुकHindi
  • sárgafejű marabuHungarian
  • Bangau besarIndonesian
  • ArgaloIdo
  • Marabù asiatico maggioreItalian
  • Marabù maggiore asiaticoItalian
  • オオハゲコウJapanese
  • 무수리 (새)Korean
  • indinis marabuLithuanian
  • വലിയ വയൽനായ്ക്കൻMalayalam
  • Burung Botak BesarMalay
  • Náátsʼózídę́ę́ʼ tsídiidaanézí bikʼoszis hólónígííNavajo
  • राजगरुडNepali
  • Indische MaraboeDutch
  • storadjutantNorwegian
  • ਗਰੜPunjabi
  • ਬਢੀਂਗPunjabi
  • marabut indyjskiPolish
  • گرڑWestern Panjabi
  • بڈھینگWestern Panjabi
  • marabu-grandePortuguese
  • Индийский марабуRussian
  • marabu veľkýSlovak
  • veliki marabuSlovenian
  • Asamski marabuSerbian
  • större adjutantstorkSwedish
  • பெருநாரைTamil
  • นกตะกรามThai
  • Sarı Yüzlü MarabuTurkish
  • аргалаUkrainian
  • Марабу індійськийUkrainian
  • Già đẫy lớnVietnamese
  • 大禿鸛Chinese
  • 大秃鹳Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the greater adjutant

Other species in the same genus Leptoptilos.

CompareGreater adjutant vs Marabou storkGreater adjutant vs Lesser adjutant

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the greater adjutant?

An adult greater adjutant weighs 9.05 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the greater adjutant endangered?

The greater adjutant is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is close to qualifying as threatened.

How long does the greater adjutant live?

The greater adjutant has a recorded lifespan of 43 years.

What kind of animal is the greater adjutant?

The greater adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius) belongs to the family Ciconiidae in the order Ciconiiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Greater adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/greater-adjutant

MLA

“Greater adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/greater-adjutant.

BibTeX
@misc{greater_adjutant_2026,
  title = {Greater adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/greater-adjutant},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}