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Description

An entry for the Spec Evo community challenge/contest of Hyrotrioskjan/Joschua Knüppe 's #AtlantisBestiary3 project !

My 2nd one !

For this second entry, I choose to made another species of Stork.

The results are the following species :

* The Atlantis dwarf stork (Ciconia falconeri) ;

A small stork of the genus Ciconia, the type genus of the order and family, that inhabit the island of Atlantis.

It size is 70-73 cm (29 in) (on average) at adulthood. Which make it very similar to the Abdim’s Stork (C. abdimii)

This species live in the swamps/mangroves and subtropical forested areas of Atlantis. And rarely ventures out of these biomes.

It’s a pretty reluctive, secretive and elusive bird in all of his restricted and fragmentary range, always on alert, and hard to spot.

It’s a timid bird who made great avoidance with medium and big animals.

This species fit a niche analogous to the New Caledonian Kagu/Cagou (Rhynocetos jubatus), spending most of it’s time on the ground. But this species still capable of normal flight to reach the trees’ top and branches to rest and nest safe from predators.

It is mostly insectivorous, feeding on any possible arthropods and worms, but also eat tiny amphibian, crabs and eggs on occasions.

This stork, at the opposite of all others storks, isn’t particulary diurnal. Being active mostly at dawn, at dusk and during a good part of the night.

Seeking most of it active time to feed on the ground.

This crepuscular and nocturnal behaviror and lifestyle is to avoid competition with all the others birds, especially the stork-like ones.

Pairs mate and bond for life. The females lay two eggs pet cluth, to maximize the survival rate of the offsprings, rised by the two parents.

His pure black body feathers, dark flight feathers, and dark red legs are for camouflage purposes. Only his strinking red beak is in a light coloration, for mating selection purposes.

The closest relative of this species is the Black stork (C. nigra), the second most famous stork after the White stork (C. ciconia), and it’s even likely, while not proven, that the Atlantis dwarf stork even descend from this species.

From explorers/losts specimens that arrive on Atlantis during their migration and established a population here.

Althought the Black stork is already a species less common and secretive than his larger white relative, despite being mostly sympatric, the Atlantis dwarf stork have put this lifestyle into a higher extreme.

Being more specialize in everything : diet, behavior and habitats.

This extreme/extra-specialization and radiation, that it undergo shortly after arriving on the island, is likely to be mostly due to avoid at maximum competition and to be preyed on by the others larger birds and stork-like species who inhabit Atlantis too.

Resulting sadly to be more vulnerable to climatic and environnemental changes.

Description

An entry for the Spec Evo community challenge/contest of Hyrotrioskjan/Joschua Knüppe 's #AtlantisBestiary3 project !

My 2nd one !

For this second entry, I choose to made another species of Stork.

The results are the following species :

* The Atlantis dwarf stork (Ciconia falconeri) ;

A small stork of the genus Ciconia, the type genus of the order and family, that inhabit the island of Atlantis.

It size is 70-73 cm (29 in) (on average) at adulthood. Which make it very similar to the Abdim’s Stork (C. abdimii)

This species live in the swamps/mangroves and subtropical forested areas of Atlantis. And rarely ventures out of these biomes.

It’s a pretty reluctive, secretive and elusive bird in all of his restricted and fragmentary range, always on alert, and hard to spot.

It’s a timid bird who made great avoidance with medium and big animals.

This species fit a niche analogous to the New Caledonian Kagu/Cagou (Rhynocetos jubatus), spending most of it’s time on the ground. But this species still capable of normal flight to reach the trees’ top and branches to rest and nest safe from predators.

It is mostly insectivorous, feeding on any possible arthropods and worms, but also eat tiny amphibian, crabs and eggs on occasions.

This stork, at the opposite of all others storks, isn’t particulary diurnal. Being active mostly at dawn, at dusk and during a good part of the night.

Seeking most of it active time to feed on the ground.

This crepuscular and nocturnal behaviror and lifestyle is to avoid competition with all the others birds, especially the stork-like ones.

Pairs mate and bond for life. The females lay two eggs pet cluth, to maximize the survival rate of the offsprings, rised by the two parents.

His pure black body feathers, dark flight feathers, and dark red legs are for camouflage purposes. Only his strinking red beak is in a light coloration, for mating selection purposes.

The closest relative of this species is the Black stork (C. nigra), the second most famous stork after the White stork (C. ciconia), and it’s even likely, while not proven, that the Atlantis dwarf stork even descend from this species.

From explorers/losts specimens that arrive on Atlantis during their migration and established a population here.

Althought the Black stork is already a species less common and secretive than his larger white relative, despite being mostly sympatric, the Atlantis dwarf stork have put this lifestyle into a higher extreme.

Being more specialize in everything : diet, behavior and habitats.

This extreme/extra-specialization and radiation, that it undergo shortly after arriving on the island, is likely to be mostly due to avoid at maximum competition and to be preyed on by the others larger birds and stork-like species who inhabit Atlantis too.

Resulting sadly to be more vulnerable to climatic and environnemental changes.