Adjutant Zoological

Adjutant (Zoological), (Leptoptilus argala), a gigantic stork-like bird from tropical India. It ranges from 5ft. to nearly 7ft. in height; bill long, head, neck, and gular pouch bare; at the back of the neck is a second pouch which is inflated during flight; plumage, ashen-gray above, white below. It is a voracious bird, and feeds on carrion and offal, and in some places is protected by law for its usefulness as a scavenger. The popular name is said to be due to the fact that it frequents camps and parade grounds. The marabou plumes of commerce are obtained from the under feathers of the tail and wings of this species, and its African congener, the Marabou (L. marabou), but those from the former are the more valuable.