CreatureData

Lesser adjutant

Leptoptilos javanicus (Horsfield, 1821)

NTNear Threatenedbirds

The lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) is a species in the family Ciconiidae, order Ciconiiformes. Recorded adults weigh 4.5 kg to 5.18 kg and live up to 31.1 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened.

Lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus)
Photo: Rana.choudhuri · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the lesser adjutant

Weight
4.5 kg – 5.18 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
31.1 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
39 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
wetlandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
29 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
2.8 – 3src 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

Where does the lesser adjutant live?

Not recorded

What is the lesser adjutant?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Like other members of its genus, it has a bare neck and head. It is however more closely associated with wetland habitats and agriculture fields where it is solitary and is less likely to scavenge than the related greater adjutant. It is a widespread species that has found from India through Southeast Asia.

From the Wikipedia article “Lesser adjutant” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lesser_adjutant&oldid=1382358931), 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 lesser adjutant endangered?

The lesser 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.

How is the lesser adjutant classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderCiconiiformes
  5. familyCiconiidae
  6. genusLeptoptilos
  7. SpeciesLeptoptilos javanicus (Horsfield, 1821)

Synonyms Ciconia capillata, Ciconia javanica, Leptoptilus javanicus

Other names and names in other languages (49)
  • Lesser adjutant storkEnglish
  • Lesser adjutant storkEnglish
  • Lesser adjutant storkEnglish
  • KleinadjutantAfrikaans
  • أبو سعن الصغيرArabic
  • marabú nanuAsturian
  • Плешив щъркелBulgarian
  • মদনটাকBangla
  • marabú collgrocCatalan
  • marabu malajskýCzech
  • marabu indomalajskýCzech
  • ciconia bach IndiaWelsh
  • Lille AdjudantDanish
  • SundamarabuGerman
  • Kleiner AdjutantGerman
  • Malaien-StorchGerman
  • eta marabuoEsperanto
  • Marabú menorSpanish
  • väikemarabuEstonian
  • pikkumarabuFinnish
  • Marabout cheveluFrench
  • מרבו קטןHebrew
  • mali marabuCroatian
  • indiai marabuHungarian
  • Bangau tongtongIndonesian
  • Marabù della SondaItalian
  • Marabù asiatico minoreItalian
  • コハゲコウJapanese
  • javinis marabuLithuanian
  • വയൽനായ്ക്കൻMalayalam
  • लहान क्षत्र बलाकMarathi
  • Burung BotakMalay
  • भुँडीफोर गरुडNepali
  • Javaanse MaraboeDutch
  • småadjutantNorwegian
  • marabut jawajskiPolish
  • marabu-pequenoPortuguese
  • Зондский марабуRussian
  • Яванский марабуRussian
  • marabu malýSlovak
  • Javanski marabuSerbian
  • mindre adjutantstorkSwedish
  • சிறிய போதாTamil
  • นกตะกรุมThai
  • Küçük MarabuTurkish
  • марабу яванськийUkrainian
  • 秃鸛Chinese
  • 小禿鸛Chinese
  • 秃鹳Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the lesser adjutant

Other species in the same genus Leptoptilos.

CompareLesser adjutant vs Marabou storkLesser adjutant vs Greater adjutant

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the lesser adjutant?

An adult lesser adjutant weighs 4.5 kg – 5.18 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the lesser adjutant endangered?

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

How long does the lesser adjutant live?

The lesser adjutant has a recorded lifespan of 31.1 years.

What kind of animal is the lesser adjutant?

The lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) 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). Lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-adjutant

MLA

“Lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-adjutant.

BibTeX
@misc{lesser_adjutant_2026,
  title = {Lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-adjutant},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}