White Stork
Ciconia ciconia
The White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a common stork found in 111 countries, weighing about 3.4 kg. The white stork is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae.
About the White Stork
The white stork is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on the bird's wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average 100–115 cm (39–45 in) from beak tip to end of tail, with a 155–215 cm (61–85 in) wingspan. The two subspecies, which differ slightly in size, breed in Europe north to Finland, northwestern Africa, Palearctic east to southern Kazakhstan and southern Africa. The white stork is a long-distance migrant, wintering in Africa from tropical Sub-Saharan Africa to as far south as South Africa, or on the Indian subcontinent. When migrating between Europe and Africa, it avoids crossing the Mediterranean…
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The white stork is a large bird. It has a length of 100–115 cm (39–45 in), and a standing height of 100–125 cm (39–49 in). The wingspan is 155–215 cm (61–85 in) and its weight is 2.3–4.5 kg (5.1–9.9 lb). Like all storks, it has long legs, a long neck and a long straight pointed beak. The sexes are identical in appearance, except that males are larger than females on average. The plumage is mainly white with black flight feathers and wing coverts; the black is caused by the pigment melanin. The breast feathers are long and shaggy forming a ruff which is used in some courtship displays.
What the White Stork sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Angola, São Tomé & Príncipe, Martinique, Sri Lanka, Andorra, Congo - Brazzaville, Gabon, Costa Rica, China, Turkmenistan.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, December, with peak activity in May. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Watch the White Stork on live cams
- Beleef de Lente (Experience Spring)Netherlands · Returns March
- White Stork Nest, TukumsTukums, Latvia · Streaming now
- Knepp White Stork CamWest Sussex, England, UK · Returns April
- Storchennest GroßefehnGroßefehn, Ostfriesland, Germany · Returns March
Browse all 118 bird cams worldwide, live and seasonal, by region and species.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a White Stork?
- The white stork is a large bird. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a White Stork?
- The White Stork is a huge sized bird weighing about 3.4 kg.
- Where can you see a White Stork?
- The White Stork occurs in 111 countries, including Spain, France, Germany, Portugal and Sweden.
- What does a White Stork sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the White Stork on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a White Stork?
- The White Stork is most easily confused with the Black Stork, the Asian Woolly-necked Stork and the Maguari Stork.
- Is the White Stork endangered?
- The White Stork is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the White Stork for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.