Stork
Family Ciconiidae
According to legend, storks are often associated with the birth of newborn babies, probably because they show such good parental care to their chicks.
Subspecies
There are 19 species of stork.
Statistics
Storks range from about 60cm (2ft) to more than 150cm (5ft) in height.
Physical Description
They are large, graceful birds with long-legs and long-necks. All or part of the head and upper neck may be bare of feathers and is often brightly coloured.
Typically the bill is straight, however wood storks (subfamily Mycteriinae) have curved bills. Open-billed storks have a curved opening to the bill that allows them to prize the flesh from snails and mussels.
Distribution
Most storks are found in tropical Africa and Asia, with two species living in Europe and three New World species (found between Florida and Argentina). One migratory species, the black-necked stork, also occurs in Australia.
Habitat
They live in wetland habitats in tropical or warm temperate areas.
Diet
Most storks are highly carnivorous, feeding on a range of small animals, such as frogs, fish and even birds, caught in shallow water and fields. Some, including the African marabou stork and the Indian adjutant stork, feed primarily on carrion.
They use a range of foraging strategies, from sitting and waiting (using their vision to hunt), to actively probing the water or soil to feel for prey.
Behaviour
Storks lack of a fully developed syrinx (vocal organ), but some of them hiss or clatter their bills loudly when excited. They fly with neck outstretched and legs trailing with an alternating flapping and soaring flight.
They are typically found in flocks, except during the breeding season.
Reproduction
Stork nests consist of a large twig platform that is built in trees or on rock ledges. Some, like the white stork, commonly nest on rooftops and chimneys.
Nest sites are often colonies, with several pairs nesting closely together.
Three to six chalky-white eggs are laid and these hatch in about five weeks. Both parents help incubate the eggs, and perform parental duties: some storks are known to stand with their wings wide open to shade the chicks from the sun.
Conservation status
Many species of stork are in decline, due to habitat destruction, and some are considered endangered.
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