The Asian Openbill Stork is primarily greyish in the non-breeding season and white during the breeding season, with glossy black wings and tail feathers that have a green or purple sheen. Its name comes from the unique gap between the recurved lower mandible and the arched upper mandible of the beak found in adults; young storks do not have this gap. The mandible’s cutting edges have a fine, brush-like structure believed to help them grip snail shells. The tail has twelve feathers, and the preen gland features a tuft. From a distance, the Asian Openbill Stork can resemble the White Stork or Oriental Stork. Its short legs are pinkish to grey, turning reddish before breeding season. Non-breeding birds have smoky grey wings and back instead of white, and juveniles are brownish-grey with a brownish mantle. This stork is a broad-winged soaring bird that uses thermals for extended flights and is usually seen in flocks, though solitary individuals are also common. Like other storks, it flies with its neck extended. It is relatively small for a stork, standing at about 68 cm tall and 81 cm long.