Large stork. Interesting facts about the white stork

It is probably difficult to find a person who has never heard of the stork. You may not know about the existence of the phaeton, great snipe or marabou, but almost everyone knows the beautiful and graceful bird with a long beak, which belongs to the wavy family.

There are many beliefs about it, there are customs associated with the stork, ancient legends are passed down from generation to generation and poems and songs are composed about it. Since ancient times, this bird has been a symbol of fidelity, prosperity and longevity of the family. And, of course, many children know that the same stork “tried hard” for their birth.

White stork - description

It would not be an exaggeration to say that this is the most famous of the twelve species of these graceful birds. This is a white beauty with a black edging of wings, a long and mobile neck, a red and long thin beak, reddish long legs and a very important gait.. When a white stork folds its wings, it seems that its entire back is black.

It is impossible to distinguish a female from a male by color. They differ only in size - females are slightly smaller. The height of these birds is up to 125 cm, the wingspan can reach two meters. The weight of an adult does not exceed four kilograms. White stork in wildlife lives up to twenty years. He is considered a long-liver. In captivity this period is somewhat shorter.

Where does the white stork live?

The habitat of these birds is quite large - all of Europe and Asia. In Europe, the territory where the stork lives extends from Southern Sweden in the north to Bryansk, Smolensk, Lipetsk in the east. It should be noted that in recent years the range has expanded significantly in east direction. The white stork winters in tropical Africa and India. The population that lives in the southern regions of the African continent is sedentary. These white birds living in the winter do not fly away for the winter either. Western Europe, where the winters are quite warm.

Many bird lovers take wonderful photos: a white stork flying for the winter. Their path can take two routes. The flocks that live west of the Elbe River fly across the Strait of Gibraltar. They remain for the winter between the Sahara and the rain tropical forests Africa.

Storks that nest east of the Elbe cross Asia Minor and Israel and winter in East Africa between Sudan and South Africa.

At all wintering sites, these beautiful birds gather in flocks of thousands. Immature young individuals sometimes remain in Africa for the entire wintering period. Storks migrate only during the daytime. They fly at very high altitudes and often soar. To do this, they choose aerodynamically convenient areas. Storks avoid flying over the sea.

Nest

Nevertheless, researchers are particularly interested not in where the white stork lives in terms of continents and borders, but in its choice of a specific place to build a nest.

In the 19th century, German scientist Alfred Brehm noticed unique feature these birds - long before building a nest, the white stork watches people for quite a long time.

This is probably why if a stork’s nest appeared in some village yard, it was believed that this would entail prosperity, health and well-being. This is amazing, but cases have been recorded when these birds even flew to the balconies of high-rise buildings.

Wild Lifestyle

Today, bird lovers can see their photos in numerous magazines. The white stork, whose description and photo are published in various publications, is of interest not only to amateurs, but also to professional researchers.

Like most large birds, the stork prefers soaring flight - this is an energetically beneficial method of movement. It is capable of flying many kilometers without flapping its wings when it finds suitable air currents.

The speed of storks during migration reaches 200-250 km per day. Birds fly in flocks, forming flocks of thousands in their wintering grounds. During migration, quite often they switch entirely to feeding on insects, giving particular preference to large locusts. For this reason, in Africa they are called “locust birds”.

Banding has been used to monitor the migration of these birds for many years, although new methods of observation have appeared in recent years. The most informative of them (but at the same time the most complex and expensive) is satellite tracking. For this, the white stork receives special “equipment” - a small transmitter that constantly transmits signals to the satellite.

Nutrition

The main diet of these birds consists of small vertebrates and invertebrates. They are not averse to eating frogs, toads, snakes, vipers and large grasshoppers. With no less pleasure they eat cockchafers, earthworms, small fish, and lizards.

While looking for food, these birds move slowly and importantly. But as soon as they notice their prey, they instantly run up and grab it. Water for your chicks caring parents carried in the beak.

Reproduction

Many of our readers have seen a couple of these birds in the photo. The white stork is a monogamous creature. Each pair breeds in a nest that can be used more than once.

Previously, storks built their nests exclusively in trees, close to human habitation. They created a huge nest of branches. Later, they began to use the roofs of houses and outbuildings for this purpose; often people specially built small sheds for them.

IN Lately Storks are increasingly building nests on factory chimneys and high-voltage line supports. One nest can serve a couple for several years. The older it is, the greater its diameter and weight. Some of them reach a weight of several centners. There are often cases when, after the death of parents, the nest is occupied by their offspring.

Males arrive at the nesting site a little earlier than their female companions. In our country this happens in early April. As soon as the first female appears nearby, the male perceives her as his “half.” However, if another individual flies to the nest, a serious struggle begins between them for the right to become a mother. The male does not take part in this fight.

The male invites the winning female to the nest. He throws his head back and makes clattering rhythmic sounds with his beak. To make the resonance greater, he retracts his tongue into the larynx. The same sounds can be heard if another male approaches the nest, only in this case the posture will be different - the neck and body are extended horizontally, while the bird raises and lowers its wings. Often such a picture can be observed when young and full of energy males fly to the nest of an old stork, who are too lazy to build their own “house”. If the opponent does not hear the threats, the owner of the nest rushes at the enemy and hits him hard with his beak.

Having accepted the male’s invitation, the female flies into the “family nest”, and now two birds throw back their heads and click their beaks. The female lays from 2 to 5 eggs, much less often from 1 to 7. The couple incubates them together. As a rule, this is done by the male during the day and by the female at night. The transfer of “fasting” is accompanied by a special ritual - special poses and clanking of beaks. This process continues for 33 days. The hatched chicks are sighted, but completely helpless.

Feeding the chicks

You've probably seen a photo of a white stork feeding its chicks. This is a very exciting spectacle. At first, the parents feed the babies earthworms from their beaks. The chicks are surprisingly deft at catching them in flight or collecting them in the nest if they were unable to catch them. As they get a little older, they try to snatch food from their parents' beaks.

Adult storks watch their offspring very carefully; if necessary, they throw sick and weak chicks out of the nest. Young storks take off for the first time after 55 days. At first this happens under the supervision of parents. They are fed by adult birds for another 18 days. Young storks spend the night in the nest, and during the day they train in flight skills.

After 70 days they turn into independent individuals and at the end of August the “young people” already fly away for the winter on their own, guided by instinct. Adult birds set off on their journey later - in September.

Sounds made

A white stork (an adult) clicks its beak loudly when meeting a couple. The chicks squeak and scream, these sounds are very reminiscent of the meowing of kittens.

Clicking its beak, the bird throws its head back and retracts its tongue. This creates a resonating cavity that enhances the sound. The clicking of the beak replaced vocal communication in the stork.

Attitude towards fellow human beings

It should be noted that the white stork is very aggressive towards individuals of its own species. It is not uncommon for several adult birds to kill their weaker brother to death.

Number of storks

Despite the fact that people have a favorable attitude toward these majestic birds, western parts their numbers are constantly decreasing throughout their range. Scientists explain this fact by the intensification Agriculture, reduction of food supply, chemicalization environment, which leads to poisoning, disruption of the reproductive cycle and death of birds.

Nevertheless, in our country the number of storks is growing every year. Today there are about 150 thousand pairs of these white beauties in the world, a third of them breed in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.

The stork is a family of large birds belonging to the order Anodidae. The stork family includes 6 genera and 19 species. All members of the family are characterized by the presence of a long beak, pointed towards the end, a long neck and long legs. They have no goiter.

A small swimming membrane connects the three front fingers of storks. The hind toe of these birds is poorly developed. Storks are practically mute birds. This is due to the fact that their vocal cords are reduced.

Typically, representatives of the stork family have very wide, deeply dissected wings. Many species of storks make significant migrations every year, and storks in general are considered excellent flyers. These birds correctly use air temperature in order to be able to save energy when flying.

When in flight, storks stretch their necks forward. The most numerous populations of storks in the countries tropical zone. Very often you can see storks in hot and temperate latitudes.

The most famous member of the stork family is the white stork, whose lifespan is approximately twenty years. Almost all white storks are migratory birds - for the winter they fly to India or Africa (there are two migration routes).

Storks are found on all continents. True, in North America their distribution is limited to the extreme south. In Australia, storks live only in the northeastern part of the continent. In the territory Russian Federation Three species of these birds nest. Only two species of storks nest in the European part of Eurasia. We are talking about a white stork and a black stork. Sometimes, as a rare guest in Europe, you can see representatives of the species of yellow-billed stork and African marabou. As a rule, when choosing a habitat, storks give preference to areas located near water bodies, as well as open spaces.

The white stork is the most famous member of the stork family. The white stork has a white plumage, with the only exception being the black tips of the wings. These birds are endowed with a long thin beak, which is red in color, a long neck, and long legs, which are also characterized by a reddish tint. An interesting fact is that at the moment when the stork’s wings are folded, a deceptive impression may arise that almost the entire bird is black. By the way, it was from this feature that the Ukrainian name for this species of stork came - blackguz. Male and female white storks have almost identical colors to each other. The difference lies in the size of the individuals - female white storks are still slightly smaller than males. The height of these birds varies from one meter to one hundred and twenty-five centimeters, and the wingspan often reaches two meters. The weight of an adult white stork is approximately four kilograms. On average, the lifespan of these birds is twenty years. In appearance, the white stork is very similar to the Far Eastern stork. However, recently the Far Eastern stork has been identified as an independent species.

The distribution area of the white stork is quite wide. It can be found throughout European and Asian territory. The white stork winters in tropical Africa or India. Moreover, the population of storks that populated the southern regions of the African continent adheres to sedentary lifestyle life. Some storks living in Western Europe are also sedentary. These are the areas that experience warmer winters. Migrating storks travel for the winter along two routes. Individuals that nest west of the river Elbe birds use the following route: after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar, these birds remain to spend the winter in Africa. This is the area between the tropical rain forests and the Sahara Desert. Representatives of white storks that nest east of the river Elbes, when migrating, fly through Asia Minor and Palestine. Their wintering place is the territory of the African continent between South Africa and South Sudan. Some individuals winter in South Arabia (quite a small amount of white storks) and Ethiopia (a few stop here for the winter more birds, compared to South Arabia). No matter what specific territory we are talking about, white storks always gather in huge flocks during the winter, including thousands of birds. Young representatives of the white stork species often remain in Africa not only for winter time, but also for the summer. Migrations of white storks associated with flights to wintering grounds occur during the day. Moreover, the birds fly at a fairly high altitude and avoid being above sea waters. When migrating, you can often see storks soaring.

White storks migrate in small groups. Sometimes in whole flocks. Storks form these groups (or flocks) immediately before flying to their wintering grounds. This is the time immediately following the breeding and feeding of offspring. Departure begins at the end of summer or the first month of autumn. There are cases when the departure of white storks for various reasons is delayed until October. As noted above, white storks fly at high altitudes during the day. An interesting fact is that the speed of movement of white storks towards the south is two times less than the speed of movement of these birds towards their nesting in the spring. Some individuals sometimes winter time carry out directly to their nesting area. This situation is observed, for example, in Denmark.

The diet of white storks includes mainly small vertebrates. As well as various invertebrates. Storks living in European territory will always never refuse vipers, grass snakes, frogs and toads. In addition, the favorite food of white storks are locusts and grasshoppers. The diet of these birds also includes earthworms, mole crickets, May beetles, small mammals(mainly hares, gophers, moles), lizards. Sometimes they eat small fish and very rarely small birds. When searching for food, white storks walk very gracefully and slowly. However, when they see potential prey, they grab it with lightning speed.

Storks use the same nest for several years. Previously, these birds chose trees as nesting sites. Storks used branches to build a huge nest on them. As a rule, their nesting site was in close proximity to human settlements. A little later, these birds began to build their nests on the roofs of various buildings (including houses). Sometimes a person helped the stork in this regard, erecting these buildings especially for them. Recently, individuals of this species have successfully built nests on factory chimneys or high-voltage lines. An interesting fact is that the older the nest, the larger its diameter. In addition, the weight of individual nests reaches several centners. This nest is so huge that it becomes a place of life not only for the storks themselves, but also for a variety of small birds. The latter, for example, may include starlings, sparrows, and wagtails. Quite often, the nest is “passed on by inheritance” - after the death of the parents, the offspring takes possession of it. The oldest nest, which has been used by more than one generation of storks, is the nest built by these birds on one of the German towers (in the eastern part of the country). It served the storks from 1549 to 1930.

Male white storks are the first to arrive at the nesting site. They are only a few days ahead of the females. There are cases when males travel a distance of two hundred kilometers in one day. Storks return to our country at the end of March or beginning of April. An interesting fact is that the male white stork considers as his the female who appears first at the nest; but if shortly after this another female flies to the nest, then both will compete for the right to become the mother. Moreover, the male takes absolutely no part in this fight. The female who has withstood the competition is invited by the male to the nest. At the same time, the male throws his head back and uses his beak to make clicking sounds, and to create greater resonance he retracts his tongue into the larynx. The male makes identical clicking sounds when another male approaches his nest. Only the pose is different. The white stork horizontally retracts its neck and body, while lowering and raising its wings. Sometimes it happens that young storks fly to the nest of an old male. This is explained by the fact that the first ones are simply too lazy to equip their own nest. Fights often occur between the owner of the nest and opponents who do not respond to preliminary threats. When the male’s invitation is accepted, both birds, while in the nest, begin to click their beaks and throw their heads back.

The female white stork lays two to five eggs. Less commonly, their number varies from one to seven. The eggs are white. Both the male and the female take part in the incubation of eggs - usually the roles are distributed as follows: the female incubates at night, and the male incubates during the day. When changing the hen, specific ritual poses always take place. The duration of incubation of eggs is approximately thirty-three days. The newly hatched chicks are helpless, but they are sighted. At first, the chicks' diet consists mainly of earthworms. The parents throw them out of their throats, and the offspring either grab the worms on the fly or collect them in the nest itself. As white stork chicks grow older, they are able to snatch food intended for them directly from the beaks of their parents.

White stork chicks are under the close supervision of adults. Adult birds often throw out all sick and weak chicks from the nest. Only on the fifty-fourth or fifty-fifth day after birth do young storks fly out of the nest. However, this process again occurs under the supervision of parents. Even after takeoff, for another two or two and a half weeks, the chicks are fed by their parents, and the storks improve their flight skills. Storks become completely independent at seventy days of age. An interesting fact is that young storks fly to winter without any guidance from adults. The path that storks take at the end of August is indicated to them by natural instinct. Adults fly away for the winter a little later - in September. Storks become sexually mature at the age of three. Despite this, some individuals begin to nest only six years after birth.

The stork is a bird very revered by folk culture. Various mythopoetic traditions designate storks as deities, shamans, totemic ancestors, demiurges, etc. White storks are considered symbols of life and growth, sky and sun, wind and thunder, freedom and inspiration, heights and prophecy, abundance and fertility.

The black stork is another representative of the stork family. The black stork is included in the Red Book of Russia and Belarus. When flying, it is often in a soaring state. This feature is also observed in other storks. When in flight, black storks also throw their legs back and stretch their necks forward. The diet of black storks consists mainly of fish, invertebrates and small aquatic vertebrates. Thus, water meadows located in close proximity to water bodies, as well as shallow waters, become feeding places for these birds. In addition, during wintering, the diet of black storks diversifies thanks to large insects, a little less often lizards and snakes, as well as small rodents.

The black stork has a black color. The plumage of black storks is mainly black, although it has a copper-red or greenish tint. The ventral side of this bird's body is white, and the throat, beak and head are bright red. In addition, the unfeathered patch on the frenulum and near the eyes of the black stork has a bright red color.

The black stork is slightly smaller in size than the white stork. The length of a black stork's wing is approximately fifty-four centimeters. The average weight of this bird is three kilograms.

Black storks tend to avoid people. The black stork is a very secretive bird. In view of this, when choosing a habitat, storks give preference to old or dense forests and areas near water bodies. Thus, the black stork can be found near swamps, forest lakes and rivers. This species inhabits the forest zone of Eurasia. As for the territory of our country, representatives of this species live in the territory from Baltic Sea to the Urals, as well as in the territory Southern Siberia up to the Far East (most big number representatives of black storks nest in Primorye). A separate population of black storks inhabits the south of Russia. These are the forests Stavropol Territory, Dagestan, Chechnya. The wintering place for black storks is South Asia. In addition, black storks can be seen in South Africa- a sedentary population of these birds lives here.

The black stork is a monogamous bird. Able to reproduce only three years after birth. As a rule, the nest is built at a height of ten to twenty meters. These could be rock ledges or tall old trees. A prerequisite is that the nesting sites must be located far from human habitation. The black stork nests once a year. There are cases when the nests of these birds are found high in the mountains. This can be a height reaching 2200 meters above sea level. When building a nest, black storks use twigs and thick branches of trees. Storks hold them together using clay, turf and earth. By analogy with white storks, representatives of this species serve one nest for many years. The end of March - beginning of April is marked by the arrival of black storks at the nesting site. The male, emitting a hoarse whistle and fluffing up his white undertail, invites the female to his nest; the female lays four to seven eggs. Both parents take part in incubation, which lasts approximately thirty days. Black stork chicks appear unevenly due to the fact that incubation begins with the first egg. The color of the chicks that are born is grayish or white. The base of the beak is orange and the tip of the beak is greenish yellow. For about ten days, the offspring only lies in the nest. Then the chicks begin to sit and can stand on their feet only at the age of thirty-five to forty days. The stay of black stork chicks in the nest ranges from fifty-five to sixty-five days. Storks receive food from their parents four or five times a day.

Black storks do not form colonies. Often the nests of these birds are located at a distance of at least six kilometers from each other. The exception is the population of black storks nesting in the Eastern Transcaucasus. Here the nests are located at a distance of only one kilometer. Sometimes you can even see two residential nests of black storks on the same tree.

The voice of a black stork can be heard extremely rarely. Like white storks, these birds are extremely reluctant to give voice. If this happens, it is usually in flight, when black storks produce a rather loud cry. It can be rendered as "chi-ling" or "che-le". Sometimes black storks talk quietly in the nest; during the mating season, representatives of this species emit a loud hiss; These birds also knock with their beaks very rarely. The chicks have a very unpleasant and rough voice.

Attempts have been made to crossbreed white and black storks. In zoos, it has been observed more than once that a male black stork begins to court a female white stork, but it was never possible to obtain hybrid chicks, which is largely due to significant differences in the mating rituals of representatives of these two species.

The Far Eastern stork is a rare bird. The Far Eastern stork is a species related to the white stork. Currently, the population of this species numbers approximately three thousand individuals. The Far Eastern stork is listed in the Red Book of Russia.

The Far Eastern stork has much in common with the white stork. First of all we're talking about about plumage color. In size, the Far Eastern stork is somewhat larger than the black stork. In addition, the Far Eastern stork is endowed with a more powerful beak; The legs of these birds have a bright red color. The beak color is black. Another difference between the two species of storks is the color of the beaks of the chicks - the white stork chicks are endowed with a black beak, while the Far Eastern stork chicks have a reddish-orange beak.

The Far Eastern stork is found only in Russia. In practice this is true. Indeed, almost the entire distribution area of this species falls on the territory of the Russian Federation. The name speaks for itself - these birds nest on Far East. To be more precise, these are the territories of Primorye and Amur region. In addition, the Far Eastern stork is found in Mongolia, northeastern China and northern Korea. Far Eastern storks gather in flocks quite early and fly away for the winter (south and southeast China).

Far Eastern storks prefer damp places. These birds settle in close proximity to wet places and bodies of water. Their diet includes aquatic and semi-aquatic animals. These are invertebrates and small vertebrates. Far Eastern storks mainly feed on frogs and small fish. When choosing nesting sites, individuals of this species try to avoid the proximity of human settlements. At the same time, the Far Eastern stork rarely builds nests in remote, inaccessible places.

Far Eastern storks build nests high in trees. An indispensable condition when choosing a nesting site is the presence of bodies of water nearby. These can be swamps, lakes, rivers. In addition to trees, other high-rise buildings can become nesting sites. Speech goes, for example, about power lines. The diameter of the nest in Far Eastern storks is approximately two meters, and the height of the nest can vary from three to fourteen meters. One nest (as in the case of other storks) serves individuals of this species for many years. Eggs are laid at the end of April. The number of eggs in a clutch ranges from two to six and depends on various conditions. Helpless chicks are born approximately thirty days after laying eggs. The female and male feed their offspring by regurgitating food into their beaks. Far Eastern storks reach sexual maturity at the age of three to four years.

The stork is a very beautiful bird with which many legends are associated. These birds attract attention large sizes, bright color. There are several varieties of storks, but the most common species is the white stork.

Characteristic features of the appearance of the white stork are the white color of the feather cover (except for the black tips of the wings); red, thin, narrow beak; reddish, thin, elongated legs; thin, long neck. Males and females can only be distinguished by size (the female is slightly smaller). The height of an adult is approximately 1-1.2 meters, the wing span is 60 cm, and the weight is 4 kg. Storks live for about twenty years. Storks have reduced vocal cords, which is why they are mute.

Storks are found throughout European and Asian territory. They prefer habitats near bodies of water. These birds fly away to spend the winter in the fall in large flocks to Africa or India.

Favorite food of storks: locusts, grasshoppers, toads, vipers. They can also feed on small fish, birds, hares, and gophers.

A peculiarity in the behavior of storks is their attachment to nests. Birds after wintering return to their nesting places and restore them. Thus, over the years, the diameter of the nest increases. Even the descendants of these birds will often inherit the home. There is a known case in history when several generations of storks inhabited the same nest for 381 years (1549 - 1930, Germany).

From the age of three, storks become sexually mature and begin to worry about building a nest. They often choose such places for arrangement as: treetops, roofs of houses, pipes or poles of high-voltage lines. Sometimes the weight of the nest can be up to 250 kg, diameter - up to 1.5 m, height - up to 50 cm. The main components of the nest are large branches, and the lining is wool, pieces of fabric, and paper. The nest is so large that starlings and sparrows often live in it alongside the storks.

In the spring, storks lay from one to seven eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 33 days. After hatching, the storks are taken care of in the nesting area. An interesting fact is that if among the chicks there are weak and sick ones, the storks throw them out of the nest. When the chick reaches 70 days, it becomes independent and flies out.

Storks (lat. Siconia) are a genus of fairly large body size, the so-called marsh birds. All representatives of this genus are in strict accordance with the established scientific classification, belong to the order Anciformes or Storks, as well as the Stork family.

Description of the stork

Representatives of the genus Storks are characterized by the presence of long and naked legs covered with mesh-type skin. The bird has a long, straight and conical beak. The front short toes are connected to each other by a wide membrane and have pinkish claws. In some places there is completely bare skin in the head and neck area.

Appearance

External features are completely determined species characteristics storks:

At the black stork top part the body is covered with black feathers with greenish and red tints, and on the lower part there is a white feather. The chest is crowned with rather thick and noticeably shaggy feathers, slightly reminiscent of a fur collar;
The white-bellied stork is characterized by a predominantly black coloration, as well as pure white underwings and chest. The legs of this stork species are red, and the beak is gray. The skin around the eyes is red, but with the onset mating season it acquires a characteristic blue color;
The white-necked stork has a characteristic black cap on its head, and there is fluffy plumage from the neck area (in the back of the head) to the anterior chest area white. The rest of the plumage is predominantly black with a reddish tint in the shoulder area. There are white feathers on the belly and lower part of the tail, and the coverts are characterized by a dark green color;
The Malayan woolly-necked stork has black and white main plumage and a red beak. The skin of the face is without feathers, orange in color, with yellowish circles in the eye area. The feathers of adult and young birds outside the breeding season have a more modest, rustic coloring;
The American stork is characterized by a predominantly white plumage with tail feathers and a black forked tail. The species is distinguished by a blue-gray beak with orange-red leathery areas around the eyes and an iris of pure white coloring;
White storks have a characteristic white plumage with black tips on their wings, long neck, as well as a long and thin red beak, long and reddish legs. Due to the blackish coloration when the wings are folded, in Ukraine the bird of this species was called “blackgut”.

Rare Far Eastern storks resemble a white stork in appearance, but have a more powerful black beak and legs that are bright red. Representatives of this species have red, unfeathered skin around the eyes. The chicks have white feathers and a reddish-orange beak.

Character and lifestyle

Very common white storks are inhabitants of low-lying meadows and often settle in wetlands, and also often select areas for nesting near people's homes. Looking for food, storks calmly and leisurely walk around the area, but when they see their prey, they quickly run up and quickly grab it.

This is interesting! Vocal communication is replaced by clicking the beak, in which the stork throws its head back far to the back and retracts its tongue back, due to which the sound is amplified by the well-resonating oral cavity.

Far Eastern storks also live close to ponds and wet places, but the most important difference between the lifestyle of this species and the white stork is the choice of the most remote and inaccessible places for nests, far from residential settlements.

How long do storks live?

average life expectancy different representatives The genus of Storks directly depends on the characteristics of the species and their habitat. White storks are able to live in natural natural conditions about twenty years, but if the rules of captivity are observed, this figure is often much higher.

Many representatives of the Far Eastern storks in captivity lived even to the age of half a century. According to observations, the maximum average duration The life of a black stork in captivity can be three decades, but in natural conditions this figure rarely exceeds sixteen years.

Types of storks

Currently, there are several species of representatives of the Stork genus:

() is a fairly large bird, distinguished by its original plumage color. Height does not exceed 110-112 cm with an average weight of 3.0 kg and a wingspan of 150-155 cm;
White-bellied stork (Siconia abdimii) - a relatively small bird, no more than 72-74 cm long and weighing up to one kilogram;
White-necked stork (Ciconia eriscorus) - a medium-sized representative of the Stork genus, with a body length in the range of 80-90 cm;
Malayan woolly-necked storks (Сiсonia stormi) - rare view the Stork family with a body length of no more than 75-91 cm;
American stork (Ciconia maguari) - a South American representative of the Stork family, characterized by a body length of 90 cm, a wingspan of no more than 115-120 cm and an average weight of 3.4-3.5 kg;
White storks (Siсonia сiconia) - large wading birds with a maximum height of at least 1.0-1.25 m with a wingspan of 15.5-2.0 m and a body weight of 3.9-4.0 kg.

This is interesting! The image of a stork is quite widespread in heraldry, and the presence of such a bird on the coat of arms symbolizes forethought and vigilance.

Range, habitats

In Europe there are a couple of species belonging to the genus Storks: the Black Stork (C. nigra) and the White Stork (C. alba). These species belong to the category of migratory birds that appear in Central Europe between February and March. Representatives of the species are not found at all in England.

White-bellied storks live in Africa, from Ethiopia to South Africa, and white-necked storks are found only in Indochina and India, the Philippines and in the tropics of Africa, on the island of Java. Malayan woolly-necked storks are common in Sumatra and Borneo, and are found in southern Thailand, western Malaysia, and Brunei. The bird prefers freshwater biotopes untouched by progress with adjacent low-lying forest areas, and also settles near rivers or in floodplain areas.

This is interesting! The population is found in northern Korea and northeastern China, as well as Mongolia. For wintering, the gregarious species flies to the south and southeast of China, where it lives in humid areas in the form of shallow ponds and rice fields.

American storks currently live in South America and the eastern part from Venezuela, up to the territory of Argentina, where they prefer to inhabit exclusively wet areas and agricultural lands. The distribution area of the Far Eastern stork is mainly represented by the territory of our country, including the Far Eastern territory, where the habitats include Primorye and Amur region, the river basins of the Amur, Zeya and Ussuri.

Diet of storks

The prey of the American stork most often includes fish and frogs, crayfish and small rodents, snakes and water insects, as well as some invertebrates. White storks feed on:

small vertebrates;
various invertebrate animals;
frogs and toads;
snakes and;
large locusts and grasshoppers;
earthworms;
mole crickets and May beetles;
dead or diseased small fish;
not too large lizards;
mammals in the form of mice and rats, moles, hares, and;
small birds.

White-bellied storks feed mainly on caterpillars and locusts, and also use other fairly large insects as food. White-necked storks are most often found in park areas or near water bodies, where they actively destroy fish, frogs and toads, snakes and lizards, and also actively feed on some invertebrate animals.

Reproduction and offspring

Initially, all representatives of the order Angiformes or Storks from the Stork family nested mainly in trees, near human habitation, where they built a very large nest from branches, the weight of which could easily be several centners. Subsequently, such birds began to actively use the roofs of residential buildings or any other buildings to create nests. Currently, storks are increasingly making nests on high-voltage power poles and factory pipes.. The nest created by the stork can serve as a feathered refuge for breeding offspring for several years.

The male stork arrives at the nesting sites several days earlier than the females of this species appear there. Birds arrive in our country at the end of March or at the beginning of April. The male will consider the very first female to appear near the nest as his own, but very often several females fight for the right to give birth to offspring. The male stork takes care of the selected female, making quite frequent and loud clicking sounds with his beak. Similar sounds are made by the male when approaching the nest of a foreign male, after which the owner of the nest uses his beak to attack and strike the enemy.

Depending on the species, the number of eggs laid can vary from two to seven, but most often there are from two to five. Stork eggs are covered with a white shell and are incubated by the pair together. As a rule, males incubate their offspring during the daytime, and females exclusively at night. During the process of changing the brood hen, the birds make a special clacking sound with their beaks and use ritual poses.

Incubation lasts just over a month, after which sighted but completely helpless chicks hatch from the eggs. At the very first time, the hatched stork chicks feed mainly on earthworms, which are actively thrown out of the throats of their parents. Mature chicks are quite capable of independently snatching food directly from the parent’s beak.

This is interesting! The oldest currently known is the stork's nest, which was built by birds of this species on a tower located in eastern Germany and served as a feathered home in the period from 1549 to 1930.

Adult birds vigilantly monitor and control the behavior and health of all offspring, so chicks that are too weak or sick are mercilessly thrown out of the nest. About eight weeks after birth, young storks take flight for the first time under the care of their parents. For almost two, and sometimes three more weeks, these storks are fed and taught to fly well, improving their flying skills by their parents. However, storks acquire complete independence in the last ten days of summer, after which they fly away to spend the winter in warm places. Adult storks migrate to wintering grounds around September. Birds reach sexual maturity at three years, but prefer to nest later, at about the age of six.

This majestic White bird familiar to everyone since childhood. After all, parents, answering the child’s question: “where did I come from,” say that a stork brought you.

Since ancient times, the stork was considered the guardian of the earth from evil spirits and earthly reptiles. In Ukraine, Belarus and Poland there is still a legend that explains the origin of the stork.

It says that one day God, seeing how much trouble and evil they caused people, decided to destroy them all.

To do this, he collected them all in a bag, and ordered the man to throw it into the sea, or burn it, or take it to high mountains. But the man decided to open the bag to see what was inside, and released all the reptiles.

As a punishment for curiosity, God turned man into stork bird, and doomed himself to collect snakes and... Isn’t it true that the Slavic myth about children being brought is much more convincing?

Stork appearance

The most common stork is the white one. Its long snow-white neck contrasts with its red beak.

And at the ends of the wide wings there are completely black feathers. Therefore, when the wings are folded, the entire back of the bird appears to be black. The stork's legs match the color of its beak - also red.

Females differ from males only in size, but not in plumage. White stork a little tall more than a meter, and its wingspan is 1.5-2 meters. An adult weighs about 4 kg.

In the photo there is a white stork

In addition to the white stork, there is also its antipode in nature - black stork. As the name suggests, this species is black in color.

It is slightly smaller in size than the white one. Everything else is very similar. Perhaps, only except for habitats.

In addition, the black stork is listed in the Red Books of Belarus, Kazakhstan and some others.

Black stork

Another popular, but not so pretty, species from the stork genus is marabou stork. Muslims revere him and consider him wise bird.

Its main difference from an ordinary stork is the presence of bare skin on the head and neck, a thicker and shorter beak and a leathery sac under it.

Another noticeable difference is that it does not extend its neck in flight; it is curved like a heron’s.

Pictured is a marabou stork

Stork habitat

There are 12 species in the stork family, but in this article we will talk about the most common one - the white stork.

In Europe, its range is limited to the north by southern Sweden and Leningrad region, in the East of Smolensk, Lipetsk.

They also live in Asia. For the winter it flies to tropical Africa and India. Those living in the south live there sedentary.

Migrating storks fly to warmer climes two routes. Birds living to the west cross Gibraltar and winter in Africa between forests and the Sahara Desert.

And from the east, storks fly across Israel, reaching East Africa. Some birds settle in South Arabia and Ethiopia.

During daytime migrations, birds fly at high altitudes, choosing air currents convenient for soaring. They try not to fly over the sea.

Young individuals often remain in warm countries for the entire next summer, because they still do not have the instinct to reproduce, and no force pulls them back to their nesting places.

The white stork chooses wetlands and low-lying meadows to live. Quite often it settles not far from a person.

Your nest stork may well twist on the roof at home or on a chimney. Moreover, people do not consider this an inconvenience; on the contrary, if a stork built a nest next to the house, this is considered good sign. People love these birds.

Stork's nest on the roof

Lifestyle of a stork

White storks mate for life. Returning from wintering, they find their nest and devote themselves to continuing their lineage.

During this time, the couple stays apart. During the winter, white storks gather in large flocks, numbering several thousand individuals.

One of the behavioral features of storks can be called “cleaning”. If any bird gets sick, or is the weakest, it is pecked to death.

Such a cruel, at first glance, ritual is actually intended to protect the rest of the flock from disease and will not allow a weak male or female to become parents, thereby preserving the health of the entire species.

The white stork is an excellent flyer. These birds travel very long distances. And one of the secrets that helps them stay in the air for a long time is that storks can take a nap while in flight.

This has been scientifically proven by tracking migratory birds. The sensor on the chest of the storks recorded at times a weaker pulse and rare and shallow breathing.

Only his hearing sharpens at these moments to hear the short clicks that his neighbors make during the flight.

These signs tell him what position to take in flight, what direction to choose. 10-15 minutes of such sleep is enough for the bird to rest, after which it takes a place at the head of the “train”, giving way to the “sleeping cars” in the middle of the flock to others who want to rest.

Stork feeding

The white stork, which inhabits lowlands and swamps, settles there not by chance. Its main diet is the frogs living there. Their entire appearance is adapted for walking in shallow water.

Ankle legs with long toes perfectly hold the bird on sticky ground. And the long beak helps to fish out all the tastiest things from the depths - frogs, shellfish, fish.

In addition to aquatic life, the stork also feeds on insects, especially large and gregarious ones, such as locusts.

They can even eat dead fish. If they can catch them, they will feast on rabbits, rats, and sometimes even small birds.

During the meal, storks majestically stride along the “table”, but when they see a suitable “dish” they quickly run up and grab it with their long, strong beak.

Reproduction and lifespan of the stork

A pair of parents, having flown to the nesting site, finds their nest and repairs it after the winter.

Those nests that are used for several years become very large. The family nest can be inherited by children after the death of their parents.

The males, who arrived in March-April a little earlier than the females, wait at the nests of future mothers. The first female to mount him may become his wife until death do them part.

Or maybe not - after all, everyone wants to find a husband and not remain an old maid, so females can fight for a vacant position. The male does not take part in this.

The determined pair lays 2-5 white eggs. Each parent incubates them in turn for a little over a month. The hatched chicks are white and downy and grow quite quickly.

Black stork chicks in the nest

Parents feed and water them from their long beak, sometimes watering them from it during extreme heat.

Like many birds, if there is a lack of food, the younger chicks die. Moreover, the parents themselves will push the sick person out of the nest in order to save the rest of the children.

After a month and a half, the chicks try to leave the nest and try their hand at flight. And after three years they become sexually mature, although they will nest only at the age of six years.

This is quite normal, considering that life cycle The white stork is about 20 years old.

There are many legends and myths about the white stork, even a film was made - Caliph stork, where a person took the form of this bird. The white stork has been revered by all peoples and at all times.