Painted storks feed in groups in shallow wetlands, crop fields and irrigation canals.
The maximum success of finding prey was at 7 cm of water depth at Keoladeo-Ghana National Park.
They feed mainly on small fish which they sense by touch while slowly sweeping their half open bill from side to side while it held submerged.
They walk slowly and also disturb the water with their feet to flush fish.
They also take frogs and the occasional snake.
They forage mainly in the day but may forage late or even at night under exceptional conditions.
After they are fed they may stand still on the shore for long durations.
Flock sizes in agricultural landscapes are mostly small (<5 birds) but reach flocks of over 50 birds.
In such landscapes, flock sizes do not vary much between seasons, but densities are much higher in winter after chicks of the year have fledged from nests.

Painted storks breed on trees either in mixed colonies along with other water birds, or by themselves.
The breeding season begins in the winter months shortly after the monsoons.
In northern India, the breeding season begins in mid-August while in southern India the nest initiation begins around October and continues till February and or even until April.
One detailed study in Bengaluru city saw storks building nests between early February and mid-March, with all of the observed nests having fledgelings by mid-May.
Considerable variation is noticed in the onset of breeding across sites with the season at Kokrebellur and Edurupattu around January or February but at Telineelapuram, Kundakulam and Tirunelveli the breeding begins around October or November.


The typical clutch varies from one to five eggs with early breeders having larger clutches.
The incubation period is about a month while the fledging period is nearly two months.
There is occasional predation of chicks by migrant Aquila eagles and Pallas's fish eagle.
During the mid-day heat, adults will stand at the nest with wings outstretched to shade the chicks.
To feed chicks, adults regurgitate fish that they have caught and these are typically smaller than 20 cm long.
Young chicks, when threatened, disgorge food and feign death by crumpling to the nest floor.
 The daily requirement for chicks has been estimated to be 500-600 grams made up of about 9 fish fed in two sessions.
Nest survival (measured as daily nest survival) is higher for nests initiated early in the monsoon season, lower with decreasing temperature, and higher at larger colonies.

The bare red skin on the head is developed when reaching breeding maturity and involves the loss of feathers and the deposition of lipids under the skin.
Birds in captivity have been known to live for as long as 28 years.
Birds raised as chicks have been known to be tame and docile, even responding to their names when called.

A bird louse, Ardeicola tantali was described on the basis of a specimen obtained from this species as also a subcutaneous mite, Neottialges kutzeri, of the family Hypoderidae.
Painted storks feed in groups in shallow wetlands, crop fields and irrigation canals. The maximum success of finding prey was at 7 cm of water depth at Keoladeo-Ghana National Park. They feed mainly on small fish which they sense by touch while slowly sweeping their half open bill from side to side while it held submerged. They walk slowly and also disturb the water with their feet to flush fish. They also take frogs and the occasional snake. They forage mainly in the day but may forage late or even at night under exceptional conditions. After they are fed they may stand still on the shore for long durations. Flock sizes in agricultural landscapes are mostly small (<5 birds) but reach flocks of over 50 birds. In such landscapes, flock sizes do not vary much between seasons, but densities are much higher in winter after chicks of the year have fledged from nests.
Painted storks breed on trees either in mixed colonies along with other water birds, or by themselves. The breeding season begins in the winter months shortly after the monsoons. In northern India, the breeding season begins in mid-August while in southern India the nest initiation begins around October and continues till February and or even until April. One detailed study in Bengaluru city saw storks building nests between early February and mid-March, with all of the observed nests having fledgelings by mid-May. Considerable variation is noticed in the onset of breeding across sites with the season at Kokrebellur and Edurupattu around January or February but at Telineelapuram, Kundakulam and Tirunelveli the breeding begins around October or November. 

The typical clutch varies from one to five eggs with early breeders having larger clutches. The incubation period is about a month while the fledging period is nearly two months. There is occasional predation of chicks by migrant Aquila eagles and Pallas's fish eagle. During the mid-day heat, adults will stand at the nest with wings outstretched to shade the chicks. To feed chicks, adults regurgitate fish that they have caught and these are typically smaller than 20 cm long. Young chicks, when threatened, disgorge food and feign death by crumpling to the nest floor.  The daily requirement for chicks has been estimated to be 500-600 grams made up of about 9 fish fed in two sessions. Nest survival (measured as daily nest survival) is higher for nests initiated early in the monsoon season, lower with decreasing temperature, and higher at larger colonies.
The bare red skin on the head is developed when reaching breeding maturity and involves the loss of feathers and the deposition of lipids under the skin. Birds in captivity have been known to live for as long as 28 years. Birds raised as chicks have been known to be tame and docile, even responding to their names when called.
A bird louse, Ardeicola tantali was described on the basis of a specimen obtained from this species as also a subcutaneous mite, Neottialges kutzeri, of the family Hypoderidae.
Painted stork