What does a white stork eat?  Bird Stork description, nutrition, reproduction

Well, who hasn’t heard of such a beautiful bird as the stork? There are many legends about this bird. This bird is considered a symbol of happiness and kindness. In the old days, many villages in Holland and the Balkans could boast that they had a stork’s nest. We have only two species of storks - white and black. The article will tell you more about these beautiful creatures.

White stork

The most famous for children and adults is the white stork. It can be found in the picture in the primer, as well as in many books for preschool and school-age children. Namely, artists love to depict the white stork. Despite being called white, the bird's feathers are not all one color. The ends of the stork's wings are black. These birds can live both in swampy areas and near humans. They don't consider people dangerous.

Their life expectancy is 20 or 22 years.

When their life cycle ends, the weight of the bird’s nest by that time is one hundred kilograms. After the death of adult birds, their children enter into inheritance rights to the nest. As for food, storks eat mainly frogs, lizards, etc. They feed their babies with chafers or worms. They bring them water in their beaks. After just two months, the babies are able to find food for themselves. For the winter, birds fly to warmer regions. Mostly this is Africa or India.

Black stork

A rather rare bird both in our country and throughout the world is the black stork. In appearance it is also similar to the white stork. Its only difference is the color. Most of its plumage is painted black. Due to the fact that the bird is not often found in nature, people who monitor animals from the “red book” know almost all the habitats of this species. If some new nest appears, then science must definitely find out about it. Unlike the white stork, the black stork is more careful. He builds his nest away from the prying eyes of others. Deep forests become the very place where the stork decides to stay and live. But it’s still quite easy to find out where the bird’s place of residence is. The bird often likes to fly over its nest. Otherwise, the two types of storks are similar. They winter in the same countries, eat the same food, and also build nests according to the same principle.

Red Book for the Black Stork

As mentioned above, black storks are included in the “red book”. They are looked after by special environmental protection organizations. In countries where birds live and winter, they hold conversations with tourists on the topic that it is impossible to destroy the quiet life of storks, that is, you cannot throw stones at the birds, make loud noises that can scare the birds, and, even more so, you cannot hunt on these beautiful and rare creatures. It is especially important to follow all these rules when the birds begin their mating season. But destroying their population is strictly prohibited at any time. Big problems await those who violate this rule.

Conclusion about storks

Storks - beautiful birds that you can look at endlessly. There's definitely something special about them. Perhaps in some ways they are similar to people. Most likely, it is precisely because they greatly value and extol their family. Since ancient times, some of these beautiful representatives of birds have decided that they can trust a person and he will not touch their nests. Over time, these wonderful birds became less and less. Only through the efforts of all the people around us is it possible to preserve and increase black and white storks. In a world where an animal, bird or any other living creature is friendly with a person, there will always be peace and tranquility. Unfortunately or to great joy, people today cannot see dinosaurs. If there were talented scientists at that time, they would still have managed to preserve at least some herbivorous dinosaur.

Surely, at the entrance to a zoo or reserve there would be a queue of those who would like to look at a strange animal that lived many centuries ago. So the task of 21st century specialists is to preserve animals from the “red book”. Let's not disturb them and just enjoy the beauty and superiority of these magnificent storks. And may they always delight us with their life, which is so necessary for us.

Storks, mysterious and simple birds simultaneously. Many interesting facts are revealed to us when we closely study these birds. Many fairy tales and legends, poems and songs are associated with them. Just as the dove is universally recognized as a symbol of world peace, so the stork on the roof is a symbol of peace, harmony and rebirth in the house.

Storks(lat. Ciconia) is a genus of birds from the wavy family.
Storks are characterized by long naked legs covered with reticulate skin; the beak is long, straight, conical; the front toes are connected to each other by a wide membrane, the toes are short with pinkish claws; there is bare skin in places on the head and neck.

Storks make nests on trees, poles, roofs of houses, and factory chimneys. The nests are constantly being completed and over the years they become so huge that they can weigh several centners.

The oldest is considered to be a nest built by storks on a tower in eastern Germany, which served the birds from 1549 to 1930.

A family of storks is created very simply: the male accepts as his wife the first female that flies up to his nest. If last year’s girlfriend suddenly returns to the old nest, where the young female has already settled, a fight begins between the contenders, and the male leaves the winner in the nest.

When many people see a stork on a nest, they think they are seeing a female, but usually it is a male. Future parents share their responsibilities: the male incubates the eggs during the day, and the female at night.

Interestingly, stork nests sometimes catch fire, leading to a fire in the building on which they were built. This fact led to the appearance of a legend about the stork’s revenge on the owner who destroys the nest. But it turns out that the reason is that birds collect branches all over the area to build their nest, and sometimes bring charred twigs from burnt-out fire sites. If the wind suddenly blows sparks on the smoldering branches, the nest may ignite.

Birds lay from 2 to 5 eggs in a nest. Parents incubate them in turn for 33 days.

At two months, the chicks, under the supervision of their parents, begin training flights. Already at the end of August, young storks are capable of independent flight to Africa. Instinct helps teenagers get to the right place.

Adult birds fly to warmer regions for the winter later, in September.

Storks feed on animal food: worms, fish, insects, reptiles, small mammals. Among insects, the locust comes first. And when wintering in Africa, birds graze all day long in fields attacked by the pest. Therefore, the local population calls the storks that fly from the north “locust eaters”.

Storks are very useful birds that protect plantings from pests. So, hunters, for example, compiled a description of the contents of the stomachs of three caught birds: in the stomach of the first stork they found 76 cockchafers, inside the second - 730 larvae of leaf wasps, in the third - 1315 pieces of locusts.

Therefore, in all the territories where storks live, the population treats this bird very carefully, believing that it brings happiness, prosperity and many children to the house.

In Africa and Asia, there are large-billed storks (marabou, lat. Leptoptilos) with a bare neck.

The stork is a fairly large bird with high legs, a long neck and beak.

The most famous among storks is the white stork. It is called because the color of the plumage of this bird is predominantly white, but the tips of the wings are shiny black. When the bird's wings are folded, it seems that the entire back of the stork is black.

The white stork is distributed throughout the European part. Also lives in Asia. These birds winter in the warm regions of India and Africa. Storks live in swampy areas, in low-lying meadows. They can also be found near human homes. They are not afraid of people. Storks nest on the roofs of houses and in trees. The nests they build serve them for many years. After wintering, white birds fly to their previous nesting site. The male storks always arrive first. They repair their nests in anticipation of their "consorts". The older the nest, the more powerful and larger in circumference it is. Storks live about 20-22 years. And by the end of their life, their nests weigh about one hundred kilograms. Not only the host storks themselves nest in them, but also other birds. After the death of adults, the nest is “inherited” to the children of the storks.

Storks eat toads, frogs, lizards, mice, insects, and gophers. Adult storks feed small chicks with earthworms, grasshoppers, and chafers. And they bring clean water in their beak and pour it into the small beaks of their babies. After two months, the stork chicks look for their own food.

A selection of photos and pictures of storks

Storks (lat. Siconia) are a genus of fairly large body size, the so-called marsh birds. All representatives of this genus, in strict accordance with the established scientific classification, belong to the order Anciformes or Stork-shaped, 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 entirely determined by the species characteristics of storks:

• The black stork's upper body is covered with black feathers with greenish and red tints, and the lower part is covered with 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 of the mating season it acquires a characteristic blue color;
• The white-necked stork has a characteristic black cap on its head, and from the neck area (in the back of the head) to the anterior chest area there is fluffy white plumage. 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 the wings, a 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?

The average life expectancy of different representatives of the Stork genus directly depends on the characteristics of the species and their habitat. White storks are able to live in natural conditions for about twenty years, but if the rules of captivity are followed, 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 lifespan 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) - a rare species of 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 zones, 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 eastern Venezuela, all the way to 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 chosen 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 warm places for the winter. 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.

A small group of long-footed birds, which gave its name to the entire order of Storks. In fact, the genus of storks has become widely known thanks to one species - the white stork, while its other representatives are little known. The closest to real storks are open-beaked and open-billed storks. In addition, these birds are related to marabou, saddle-billed and jabiru.

Far Eastern or black-billed stork (Ciconia boyciana).

The appearance of these birds is easily recognizable due to their characteristic long legs, neck and beak. The beak of real storks is straight and not too massive; in gaping storks it looks more powerful, and its valves are slightly curved, so they never close tightly. Because of their always slightly open beak, they were called gapes. The wings of these birds are wide and strong, the tail is relatively short, cut bluntly. The legs are feathered only in the upper part, the toes are free and not connected by membranes. The color of all types of storks contains only white and black in different proportions. The color of the paws and beak is black or red. The size of all species is approximately the same; these birds weigh 3-5 kg. Males and females are externally indistinguishable from each other.

African gaping stork (Anastomus lamelligerus).

Storks live in the Old World; they reach their greatest diversity and numbers in the tropics and subtropics of Africa and Asia. The only species found in South America is the American stork. All southern species are sedentary and live in pairs or small groups consisting of several pairs nesting nearby. White, black and Far Eastern storks live in the temperate zone of Europe and Asia and are migratory. The white stork winters in Africa, the black stork in Africa and India, and the Far Eastern stork in China. Birds fly to nesting sites in March-April; at first they stay in small flocks, and then break up into pairs. During the nesting period, nepotism remains, but in feeding areas, storks calmly tolerate the proximity of their own kind. By autumn they gather in small flocks of 10-25 individuals, and in late August-early October they fly south. In wintering areas they form mass aggregations; here their flocks can number up to a thousand individuals.

The American stork (Ciconia maguari) has a bluish beak.

The flight of storks is moderately fast with strong wing beats. Although these birds feel confident in the air, they try to avoid unnecessary energy expenditure. During a long flight, they often switch to gliding on outstretched wings; storks also try to avoid places with strong air currents, in particular, they never fly over the sea.

These birds have a calm and friendly disposition. Not only do they not sort things out with each other, but they also put up with other waterfowl and shorebirds (herons, for example). Almost all species of storks are voiceless; their means of communication is loud clicking of their beaks. The only species that makes sounds is the black stork. His voice sounds like a quiet "chii-lin." It is interesting that the chicks of all types of storks are capable of screaming; their voices resemble a rough bass voice or the meow of a cat.

The white-bellied stork (Ciconia abdimii) is the shortest-legged and shortest-billed species.

The habitats of storks are somehow connected with water. In most cases, birds prefer to nest in trees near the shore. It happens that the nest itself is hidden in the thick of the forest, and birds fly to the pond only to feed. While searching for food, they wander in shallow water or at the water's edge. Storks never go deep into water because they cannot swim. They also avoid dense thickets of reeds and impassable bushes, but meadows with short grass are perfect for them.

Almost all species avoid proximity to humans and try to populate remote areas. The only exception to this rule is the white stork. It tolerates being around people so well that it often settles on man-made structures. White stork nests can be seen on the roofs of houses, bell towers, power poles, telegraph poles, and water towers. If the design allows, several pairs can build nests close to each other.

A pair of black storks (Ciconia nigra) at a nest in the forest. The plumage of these birds, like other dark-colored species, is often green and purple.

Storks feed on a variety of small animals. Their diet consists of mollusks, worms, frogs, toads, small lizards and snakes, and sometimes small fish. The hunting method of storks can be called active search. Unlike herons, they do not freeze in place in a motionless stance, but constantly walk along the feeding area. Seeing prey, the stork sharply throws its neck forward, finishes it off with an energetic blow of its beak and immediately swallows it.

A black stork wanders through shallow waters in search of prey.

Storks are monogamous birds: the resulting pair remains faithful to each other throughout their lives. A bird can form a new pair only if the previous partner dies.

Migratory species begin nesting soon after arrival. Stork nests are large piles of branches with a compacted tray in the middle. The structure of the nest is quite strong, so birds try to occupy old nests, periodically renovating them. Often, after the parents, one of their chicks “inherits” the nest. The record case of continuous use of the nest was recorded in Germany, where birds used it from 1549 to 1930. The bulky nests of storks are often inhabited by harmless parasites - sparrows and similar small birds.

The mating ritual of Far Eastern storks - the male and female, throwing back their heads, click their beaks.

The clutch of these birds contains from 2 to 5 white eggs. Incubation begins after the first or second egg is laid, so the entire brood hatches within a few days. The incubation period lasts 33-34 days, both parents participate in incubation. Stork chicks hatch covered in light gray down and grow quickly. Parents take turns bringing them food and water in their beaks. The success of reproduction largely depends on feeding conditions; in years with little food, younger chicks often die because they receive less food. The chicks spend the first month and a half in the nest, then they fledge and begin to travel along the branches of the tree, and then wander around the surrounding area with their parents.

White storks (Ciconia ciconia) near a nest with chicks.

In nature, storks do not have many enemies: their relatively large size protects them from attacks by birds of prey, and nesting in trees protects them from ground predators.

In the past, these gentle and faithful birds were universally loved. Storks personified happiness and family well-being. According to legends, a stork's nest on the roof of a house meant prosperity and peace, and the birds themselves were messengers of motherhood. However, now the number of species living in the temperate zone is constantly declining. This is due to the reduction of natural habitats (draining of swamps, pollution of water bodies), a disturbance factor. The white stork often has cases of chicks and adult birds dying on power lines. The Far Eastern stork, listed in the International Red Book, is extremely rare, the number of black storks, which avoids proximity to humans (it is also listed in the national Red Books), is small, and even the white stork is reducing its range. To protect these birds, it is enough to simply provide them with feeding grounds (ponds, meadows) and attract them with convenient places for nesting.

A small colony of white storks on an ancient bell tower.