Stork

Storks are large birds with long legs, long necks, and strong bills. They belong to a special group called the family Ciconiidae and are part of the order Ciconiiformes. Unlike their close relatives like herons and ibises, storks live in drier places and don't have special feathers to clean off fish slime.

Storks are known for their flying style called soaring, which helps them save energy by using warm air currents. Some storks, like the marabou stork, have very wide wingspans—up to 3.2 metres! They build big nests that can be used for many years.

These birds eat a variety of foods, including frogs, fish, insects, earthworms, small birds, and small mammals. There are 20 different kinds of storks living today, found in many parts of the world. Some storks travel long distances during migration.

Storks are often mentioned in stories and myths, especially in Western cultures where they are thought to bring new babies to families. While they are generally loyal in their pairs, some stork species sometimes mate with others outside their main pair.

Etymology

The word "stork" has been used since at least the 12th century in Middle English. It comes from the Old English word storc, which traces back to older language roots. The name describes the stiff, upright way storks stand.

Some stork species have different names. The jabiru gets its name from Tupí-Guarani words meaning "that which has" and "swollen," referring to its thick neck. The marabou stork is named after an Arabic word for holy man, because people thought it looked holy. The adjutants are named after a military rank, because they walk in a stiff, marching way.

Systematics

See also: List of storks

A DNA study found that the families Ardeidae, Balaenicipitidae, Scopidae and the Threskiornithidae belong to the Pelecaniformes. This means that Ciconiidae is the only group in its order.

Storks were distinct and possibly widespread by the Oligocene. Like most families of water birds, storks seem to have arisen in the Palaeogene, maybe 40–50 million years ago. For the fossil record of living types, documented since the Middle Miocene (about 15 million years ago) at least in some cases, see the genus articles.

No type of stork is known to have disappeared in historic times.

Phylogeny

The following family tree is recognized by the International Ornithological Congress, partially based on de Sousa et al (2023):

Fossil storks

• Genus Palaeoephippiorhynchus (fossil: Early Oligocene of Fayyum, Egypt)
• Genus Grallavis (fossil: Early Miocene of Saint-Gérand-le-Puy, France, and Djebel Zelten, Libya)^{[citation needed]} – may be same as Prociconia
• Ciconiidae gen. et sp. indet. – formerly Aquilavus/Cygnus bilinicus (fossil: Early Miocene of Břešťany, Czech Republic)^{[citation needed]}
• Ciconiidae gen. et sp. indet. (Ituzaingó Late Miocene of Paraná, Argentina)
• Ciconiidae gen. et sp. indet. (Puerto Madryn Late Miocene of Punta Buenos Aires, Argentina)
• cf. Leptoptilos gen. et sp. indet. – formerly L. siwalicensis (fossil: Late Miocene? – Late Pliocene of Siwalik, India)
• Ciconia nana (fossil: Pleistocene of Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia, and Ciconia louisebolesae fossil: Olig-Miocene of Riversleigh WHA, Queensland, Australia
• Genus Pelargosteon (fossil: Early Pleistocene of Romania)^{[citation needed]}
• Genus Prociconia (fossil: Late Pleistocene of Brazil) – may belong to modern type Jabiru or Ciconia^{[citation needed]}
• Ciconiidae gen. et sp. indet. (fossil: Late Pleistocene of San Josecito Cavern, Mexico)

The fossil types Eociconia (Middle Eocene of China) and Ciconiopsis (Deseado Early Oligocene of Patagonia, Argentina) are often tentatively placed with this family. A "stork-like" fossil piece from the Touro Passo Formation found at Arroio Touro Passo (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) might be of the living wood stork M. americana; it is at most of Late Pleistocene age, a few 10,000s of years.

Morphology

Storks are birds with long legs and necks, and they can be different sizes. Some, like the marabou, are quite tall and heavy, while others, like the Abdim's stork, are smaller. Male storks are often a bit bigger than females, but they usually look very similar.

Storks have big bills that look different depending on the species. Some storks use their bills to catch fish, while others use them to find food on the ground or in muddy water. All of these different bill shapes help storks find the food they like to eat.

Even though some people think storks can't make noise, they actually can make sounds, though they don't do it very often. Their body parts for making sound are a little unusual, but they work well for the storks.

Distribution and habitat

Storks can be found almost everywhere in the world, except at the poles, most of North America, and large parts of Australia. They are most common in tropical Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Only three species live in the New World: the wood stork, maguari stork, and jabiru, which is the tallest flying bird in the Americas. Two species, the white and black stork, live in Europe and western Asia, while the Oriental stork is found in eastern Asia, and the black-necked stork lives in Australasia.

Storks live in many different habitats. Some prefer watery areas, while others can be found in grasslands, forests, or even near human farms and towns. They like places with shallow water where they can easily catch food. Some storks have even learned to live close to people, using gardens and even feeding areas for trash.

See also: List of Ciconiiformes by population

Migration and movements

Storks have different habits when it comes to moving around. Some, like the white stork, black stork, and Oriental stork, travel very far every year to avoid cold weather. They fly over land, often choosing routes that avoid long stretches of water. These routes are partly learned from other birds.

The Abdim's stork moves within tropical areas, breeding in northern Africa and then traveling to Southern Africa. Even storks that don’t usually migrate might move shorter distances when they need to find food or nesting spots. Wood storks have been seen traveling up to 130 km (80 mi) from where they were born to find food.

Behaviour

Storks are birds that eat meat. They hunt for animals like reptiles, small mammals, insects, fish, and amphibians, usually in shallow water. They stand or walk in the water with their long bills submerged. When their bill touches prey, it snaps shut very quickly, one of the fastest reactions in any animal.

Some storks specialize in certain foods. For example, milky storks in Sumatra eat mudskippers, and openbills eat freshwater snails. Other storks have more varied diets and may eat locusts or other insects.

Storks also have different ways of breeding. Some species breed alone, while others live in groups. They build nests in trees in many different places, such as forests, cities, farmlands, and wetlands. Some stork species may nest close to each other, while others prefer to nest alone. Scientists do not fully understand why some storks choose to nest together or apart.

In culture

Many old stories and myths from different cultures talk about storks. In Ancient Egypt, people thought saddle-billed storks were very powerful and used them to show the soul. In stories from Greece and Rome, storks were known for taking good care of their parents, and people even had laws about caring for older family members because of this.

Storks appear in several famous fables, like The Farmer and the Stork, where a stork gets into trouble for being with bad company. Another fable, The Fox and the Stork, teaches us to treat others as we would like to be treated. These stories have been enjoyed for many years.

In many parts of the world, people believe that storks bring babies to families. This idea comes from old European tales where storks would find babies and bring them to homes. Even today, some people still share this lovely story.