The document discusses the annual migration of painted storks from Siberia to the small village of Veerapuram in India. The storks fly over 6,000 km to breed exclusively in the trees within Veerapuram, drawn by the villagers' care and protection of the birds. Though the village lacks water bodies, the male storks still travel up to 200 km nightly to feed yet return daily to their nests. The enduring relationship between the storks and villagers over a century demonstrates qualities of adaptability, communication without speech, treating guests with dignity, and the power of positive attitudes and true love to overcome obstacles.

1. LESSON LEARNT

2. • Thought to have migrated originally from
the Great Russian ice desert in Siberia
• They went south towards Asia, seeking
warmer and more comfortable places of
the world like India
• they seemed especially drawn to the
Indian Peninsula
• They come to breed in and around large
bodies of water and coastal areas.

3. • Painted Stork is a massive bird with a yellow,
long and heavy bill, slightly curved near the tip.
• The plumage is white and closely barred, marked
with glistening black above and with a black
band across the breast.
• A closer look brings in view spectacular ‘hunched
up’ colony of large birds.
• Built on tree one might find as many as 10-20
nests on a single tree, almost touching each
other.

4. • It’s wonderful but difficult to understand the bond
between the painted storks from Siberia and
Veerapuram, a tiny remote village in Anantapur
district, about 140 km from Bangalore.
• The Painted Storks have settled down in
Veeepuram for more than a century now.
• The chemistry of love between the storks and
Veerapuram is unfathomable as the birds are
found nestled only on the trees within the village
and not even on the outskirts.

5. • The villagers claim it is their "love for the
guest birds'' which keeps them in the
village. Though the village has a small
water body (a tank) it dries up by the time
the guests arrive in the village or it doesn't
get the water at all due to the poor rainfall
in the area
• Nestled in the village the male birds fly
even up to a couple of hundred km every
night to fetch food from the water bodies.
• However, they return to the nests by

6. • The painted storks from Siberia and
Algeria fly across the seas and mainland
for about 6,000 km to reach Veerapuram.
• The migration starts from December and
ends in May-June when the birds return to
their homelands along with their new
borns.

7. • It is amazing to see and know that these
birds have chosen this village as their
breeding centre.
• It is presumed that because these villagers
take care of the birds by not harming them,
they repeatedly come every year.
• The Care and concern shown to these
birds by very enthusiastic children and the
old of the village was very evident.

8. • Behavior: Painted Storks are found mostly in large
colonies and stay near water.
• The nests, made up of sticks and leaves, are built
close to the edge of the water.
• One can see other stork species, like herons,
ibises, cormorants and spoonbills, sharing the
habitat with Painted storks.
• Till 18 months of age, the young ones can make
loud calls to attract their parents.
• However, after this, they lose their speech and use
other signals to convey something to their fellow
birds.

9. • Diet
• Painted storks of India prefer to eat fish,
which also forms a major portion of their
diet. However, at times, they consume
frogs and snails also.
• When hunting, the stork puts its head
inside the water, with its bill being partly
open.
• The bird keeps swinging its head back
and forth in the water, till it catches a prey.

10. • Predators
• The predators of Painted stork of India
include tigers, leopards, jungle cats,
hyenas and crocodiles.
• Some villagers also kill them for their
meet.

11. • Mating Behavior
• The breeding season of the Painted stork starts
towards the end of the rainy season.
• The mating period is the time for the male storks to
perform ritualistic displays and attract females.
• After mating, the nest is built and the female lays
around 3 to 5 eggs.
• The incubation period is between 27 and 32 days
and the responsibility is shared by the both the
parents.
• The young ones become fully matured when they
attain four years of age.

12. • Senses
• The most important as well as the most
developed senses of the Painted stork
comprise of its eyesight and hearing.
• The young ones communicate through loud
hoarse call.
• However, after attaining 18 moths of age, the
style of communication changes to clattering
of large bills or hissing or bowing to each
other or spreading the wings, etc.

13. • POSITIVE ATTITUDE
• CONFIDENCE
• CAREING AND
SHARING
• ENDURANCE
• ADAPTABILITY
• COMMUNICATION
• TREATE THE GUEST
WITH DIGNITY AND
HONOUR

14. • WITH THE POSITIVE
ATTITUE ONE CAN
OVER COME ANY
HURRDLE IN LIFE.
• LIKE THESE BIRDS
FLYING ALMOST
6000 KMS FAR WAY
FROM HOMES IN
SEARCH OF
HATCHING PLACE
TO GIVE BIRTH TO
THEIR YOUNG
ONES.

15. • IF ONE HAVE
CONFIDENCE IN
LIFE ONE CAN
MOVE A MOUNTAIN.
• EVEN IN HOSTILE
CONDITION, IF ONE
HAVE CONFIDENCE
NOTHING IS
IMPOSSIBLE.

16. • IT IS ONLY THE
CAREING AND LOVE
OF THE VILLAGERS,
ATTRACKED THESE
BIRDS TO THIS
PLACE EVERY
YEAR.
• TRUE LOVE
FURTHER
STRENGTHENS
TRUST, LIKE THE
CHEMISTRY OF
LOVE BETWEEN

17. • IT MAKE ONE WONDER
WHO GAVE THE
STRENGTH TO THIS
TINY CREATURE TO
FLY ALL THE WAY
FROM SIBERIA 6000
KMS TO THIS
UNKNOWN VILLAGE.
• HOW IT NAVIGATE THE
ROUTE, WHERE
HUMAN BEING NEED
GPS TO EXPLORE
UNKNOWN LAND.

18. • THE MIGRATORY
BIRDS FINDS THIS
TINY VILLAGE A
HAVEN FOR BREEING
ITS NEW ONES.
• EVEN AS HUMAN
BEING ONE HAVE
RESERVATION,
APPREHENSION
ABOUT THE FOREIGN
LAND, BUT THESE
TINY CREATURES
ADAPT ITSELF TO
THE NEW

19. • THEIR WAY OF
COMMUNICATION IS ALSO
UNIQUE.
• TILL 18 MONTHS OF AGE,
THE YOUNG ONES CAN
MAKE LOUD CALLS TO
ATTRACT THEIR PARENTS.
• HOWEVER, AFTER THIS,
THEY LOSE THEIR SPEECH
AND USE OTHER SIGNALS
TO CONVEY SOMETHING TO
THEIR FELLOW BIRDS.
• IT PROVES NON VERBAL
COMMUNICATION ALSO
HELPS TO SURVIVE IN
LIFE

20. • THE VILLAGERS
PROVE TO THE
WORLD TO TREAT
THE GUEST WITH
OPEN HEART. THIS
BONAGE ONLY
BRINGS FOREIGN
GUESTS YEAR AFTER
YEAR.
• THE CHEMISTRY OF
LOVE BETWEEN THE
BIRDS AND THE
VILLAGERS ARE
REALLY FACINATING

21. WHAT MORE
LESSONS HUMAN
BEING NEEDS TO
LEARN FROM THIS
WONDERFUL
CREATURE