Ciconiidae – Storks

The Ciconiidae or Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They are the only family in the order Ciconiiformes, which was once considered to be much larger and held a number of families.

Storks dwell in many regions and tend to live in drier habitats than the closely related herons, spoonbills and ibises; they also lack the powder down that those groups use to clean off fish slime. Storks have no syrinx and are mute, giving no call; bill-clattering is an important mode of communication at the nest. Many species are migratory. Most storks eat frogs and other amphibians, fish, insects, earthworms, small birds and small mammals. There are twenty living species of storks in six genera, currently recognised.

Various terms are used to refer to groups of storks, two frequently used ones being a muster of storks and a phalanx of storks.

Storks tend to use soaring, gliding flight, which conserves energy. Soaring requires thermal air currents. Storks are heavy, with wide wingspans: the Marabou Stork, with a wingspan of 3.2 metres and weight up to 8kg joins the Andean condor in having the widest wingspan of all living land birds.

Saddle-billed Storks Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis

Their nests are often very large and may be used for many years. Some nests have been known to grow to over two metres in diameter and about three metres in depth. Storks were once thought to be monogamous, but this is only partially true. They may change mates after migrations, and may migrate without a mate.

Maguari Stork Ciconia maguari

Storks’ size, assumed serial monogamy, and faithfulness to an established nesting site contribute to their prominence in mythology and culture.

African Openbill Anastomus lamelligerus

The centres of stork diversity are in tropical Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, with eight and six breeding species respectively. Just three species are present in the New World: Wood Stork, Maguari Stork and Jabiru, which is the largest flying bird of the Americas. Two species, White Stork and Black Stork, reach Europe and western temperate Asia, while one species, Oriental Stork, reaches temperate areas of eastern Asia, and one species, Black-necked Stork, is found in Australasia (where it is confusingly often called jabiru).