Peter,
Thanks for the comments. Yes I am aware that
the Saddle-billed Stork has a yellow iris in the female and brown in the
male. That is why, along with other morphological similarities, the
Black-necked Stork was placed in the same genus as the Saddle-billed. But
why does only the female have a yellow iris? It would be easier to explain
if both sexes possessed it as it is probably an adaptation to feeding in poor
light such as at night, which the Black-necked Stork does do. Is it for
recognition of the sexes in a species that doesn't usually use vocal
cues?
Regards
Greg
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