stork

Stork

Storks live where?

In Europe, there aren't many birds that are as well-known as the white stork. The white stork is a cultural adopter, as opposed to its reclusive relative, the black stork. It eagerly seeks out human contact, whether it's reproducing on electricity pylons or rooftops or foraging behind tractors on recently mown fields. Despite being widely recognized, the white stork is no longer as widespread as it once was. Spain, Poland, and the Baltic region are the main countries with sizable populations.

Storks require open areas such as flood plains, heavily farmed meadows and pastures, or cultivated areas with small, nutrient-rich bodies of water in order to survive. However, these habitats are dwindling in number as a result of poor agricultural policies.

Characteristics of storks

stork stork

One of the largest birds in Europe is the white stork. Its height ranges from 95 to 110 centimeters, and its wingspan is between 183 and 217 centimeters. With its white plumage, black wing and shoulder feathers, a long red bill (measuring 14–19 centimeters), and red legs, the white stork is easily identified. The white stork moves calmly across fields and pastures while looking for food, its neck straight and leaning slightly forward. Its wingbeats are slow and regular as it is flying. Storks fly with their legs and necks extended, unlike herons. They exploit thermals to soar high into the air as "gliders," with their wings immobile. Ringed storks have been studied, and we know they can live to adulthood.

Do storks consume anything?

Storks do not have particular dietary preferences. Small animals, frogs, and huge insects like grasshoppers are their favored food sources. However, they also consume fish, reptiles, and, sporadically, the eggs and young of ground-nesting birds. Earthworms and insect larvae are the principal foods that stork parents feed their young during the first several weeks after birth.

Storks have evolved a range of hunting strategies to locate prey. They walk out with their heads and mouths facing downward, grabbing insects and worms. The beautiful wading birds hunt for mice by standing motionless and then striking with lightning speed.

Stork reproduction and social interaction

stork stork

The time between the end of February and the beginning of April is when Central European white storks typically return to the nesting location from the previous year, depending on their breeding grounds. To secure the greatest territories, the males typically arrive a few days earlier than the females. A stork will clatter its bills loudly and rhythmically to welcome its partner when she enters the nest. For this reason, the stork is often referred to as the "Klapperstorch" in German folklore (clattering stork). The nest can grow to huge proportions and is constructed or maintained by the male and female simultaneously. Nests up to two meters in diameter and three meters high have been observed.

After mating, females typically lay three to five eggs, which are then raised by the male and female alternately. The newborn birds are regularly watched over by an adult bird during the first month of their lives. The nestlings fledge after about two months, but the parents continue to feed them for another two to three weeks. The juvenile storks are self-sufficient at roughly two and a half months. The juvenile birds don't return to the nesting place until they are three to five years old, when they attain sexual maturity. They stay in the overwintering regions throughout the interim.

Are storks in danger?

Loss of habitat is the white stork's main concern. Storks are deprived of their primary food source when rainy meadows are drained. The expansion of agriculture in Central and Eastern European nations, especially as a result of EU membership, poses a serious danger to stork populations.

In some parts of Europe, such as Germany and France, population numbers have increased again after sharp decreases in the second half of the 20th century. The main cause of this is most likely due to Spain's better food supply, where an increasing number of storks have been wintering in recent years. Even after hundreds of years, white storks have recently successfully reproduced once more in Great Britain.

The main threat to storks (and other large birds) from electrocution or collision, aside from habitat loss and the effects of the climate crisis, is posed by power lines. Storks are long-distance migrants who face numerous threats throughout their migration routes. Poachers target significant numbers of people from the Eastern European population who go to Africa via the Bosphorus and the Middle East.The white stork is one of the species included in Annex I of the European Birds Directive, which lists species that are particularly endangered and deserving of protection. Only a shift in agricultural strategy, such as the restoration of wet meadows, can allow for the long-term conservation of the white stork and its habitats.