White Stork

Ciconia ciconia

Grassveld, bushveld. Black and white with red bill and legs. Seen in large flocks or small groups in summer.

Not Endemic

Description

Common summer visitor and resident. Unmistakable large black-and-white stork with red bill and legs. In flight distinguished from [Yellow-billed Stork] by white tail. In summer large flocks feed in grassland, farmlands and bushveld, often mixing with [Abdim’s Stork]. Tend to avoid large, permanent floodplains and marshes. Flocks often soar at great heights on hot days. May suddenly appear in a district and remain a few days to feed, then depart, this behaviour especially linked to infestations of agricultural pests. Seen singly or in small groups. Annual influxes vary from year to year.

Quick Facts

Bird Family

Large to very large long-legged and long-necked birds with straight, stout bills. Plumage mostly black and white; bills and legs whitish, reddish or dark. Storks walk with a stately gait and frequently rest on the ground with the lower parts of their legs stretched forward. In flight, the neck is stretched out (unlike herons, which fly with retracted necks) and the legs may trail down at a slight angle to the body. Most storks sometimes soar to great heights during the heat of the day; many are communal in habit and most frequent water or damp places to some extent. Diet ranges from large insects, reptiles, frogs and other waterlife to carrion in one species. They make guttural sounds and hisses at nests, and bill-clapping is used as a greeting between pairs. The nests are large stick structures placed in trees or on rocks, cliffs or the ground.