The White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a large wading bird that belongs to the family: Ciconiidae.
White storks nest in central and eastern Europe, spending the winter in Africa. About one quarter of the population of white storks live in Poland.
The white stork is a distinctive large wading bird which has a white plumage with black flight feathers and wing coverts. The black colouration is caused by the pigment melanin and carotenoids in their diet.Adult white storks have long pointed red beaks, long red legs with partially webbed feet on the end and a long, slender neck. They have black skin around their eyes and their claws are blunt and nail-like. Males and females are identical in appearance, however, males are slightly larger in size. The feathers on the chest are long and form a ruff which is sometimes used when performing courtship displays.The white stork’s wings are long and broad which enables the bird to soar easily on air thermals. The storks wingbeats when flapping, have a slow but regular pattern. Like most wading birds, white storks are a spectacular sight when soaring through the air, with their long necks out-stretched forwards and their long legs out-stretched backwards well beyond the end of its short tail. They flap their huge, broad wings as little as possible to save energy.
The white stork’s preferred habitats are riverbanks, marshes, swamps, ditches, grasslands and meadows. White storks tend to avoid areas that are overgrown with tall trees and shrubs.
The white stork is completely diurnal (active during the day). Its preferred feeding grounds are shallow wetlands, grassy meadows and farmland. The white stork is a carnivore and feeds up on a variety of animal from both the ground and from shallow water. Prey includes amphibians, reptiles such as lizards, snakes and frogs, insects, fish, small birds and mammals.
