Leptoptilos falconeri is an extinct species of large-bodied stork that existed during the Pliocene, having persisted until just over 2.58 million years ago.

[1][2] The genus name Leptoptilos is derived from the Greek word lepto meaning "thin or slender", which refers to the storks slim build and the Greek word ptilo meaning "down or soft feather", referring to the soft feather down covering the frame of the members of Leptotilos stork.

Despite its type specimen being from India, extensive fossil records show it was distributed well into Africa, from deposits within Ethiopia, Chad and Egypt as well as possibly Kenya.

[8][9][10][11] All three modern species of the genus Leptoptilos are large, bulky storks which forage extensive in open areas, switching between the lifestyle of being a scavenger on carrion, unlike other storks, and then alternating usually to more nutritious small, live prey such as fish and invertebrates when feeding nestlings (although the smaller lesser adjutant more infrequently engages in scavenging that the other two species).

However, given the much larger sizes and limited flight of large species such as L. falconeri this may have facilitated a more cursorial foraging style and more active predation on sometimes substantial prey.