At a landfill on Majuli, which is said by many to be the world’s largest riverine island, a cluster of ungainly birds peck at garbage. Here, on the river Brahmaputra in the northeast Indian state of Assam, these animals stand over four and a half feet tall, bald and with a strange orange pouch on their necks. And while it’s fair to say they would probably never win an avian beauty contest, the greater adjutant storks (Leptoptilos dubius) play a crucial role in Assam’s wetlands by consuming decaying organic matter, helping in nutrient recycling and promoting ecosystem health. The post The ‘Stork Sisters’ Saving a Species on the Brink appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.