What to eat storks? Bird stork: types, description, photo, habitat

Stork – a large bird, superficially spectacular, and it is used by many brands in their collections of clothing and accessories. But if the dresses and purses of these birds can be seen often, in reality, certain types of storks even listed in the Red book. The rapidly shrinking number of black storks (Ciconia nigra), far East (Ciconia boyciana) is also left a bit.

The Family of storks consists of 17 species and 9 genera of birds are characterized by a long graceful neck, large body, long featherless legs with flipper and sharp beak. Different species of birds differ from each other in appearance. Eating storks, where they live, how to raise offspring? What are the main types of these birds still have the opportunity to meet? All of these questions you will find answers in the article.

White stork

Latin name Ciconia Ciconia. This species can be recognized by white color of plumage and black wing tips. Due to the contrasting color (feet and beak bird bright red) white stork became a Muse for many Asian artists, his image can often be found in Chinese and Japanese painting, along with images of cranes. The adult bird weighs on average 4 kg and females – a little less. The wings of a white stork reach 60 centimeters in length. Attempts were made to cross the white stork with the black, but nothing came of it, because their mating rituals differ too much. White storks are monogamous.

Black stork

Latin name Ciconia nigra. Representatives of this species slightly inferior to the white storks in size: on average weigh 3 kg, and their wings do not exceed 55 centimetres in length. The colouring of the birds is usually not pure black, but with greenish or red tint. Red painted beak, legs, throat and skin around the eyes. Abdomen black stork, a photo of which is presented to your attention below, white. A characteristic feature of the black storks is monogamy: they choose a partner for life.

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Stork-cuckoo

Latin name – Anastomus. This is the common name of the genus, it includes African stork-cuckoo, Indian stork, cuckoo. The main external difference between – the larger the beak, which is not fully closed, there is always a small gap. That is why the bird got its name.

Brazilian Jabiru

Latin name-mycteria Jabiru. It is a large bird with a wingspan up to 2.5 meters. The tip of the long beak of the stork has a slight bend upward. Body Brazilian Jabiru painted white, and the head, neck and beak-blue-black. Females differ from males in yellow eyes. Neck of a stork, a photo of which you can see below, the base has a red-orange hue.

Marabu

Latin name – Leptoptilos. This is the common name of the genus, it includes Javanese, African, Indian Marabu. As Brazilian Jabiru, these storks are large, with a large head and massive bill. Even adult birds can look like ugly ducklings than beautiful swans. The wings reach a length of 70 centimeters, the birds weigh approximately 5 kg. At Marabu has the informal name – “adjutant" received for the walk as the military. The head of the bird is missing feathers, as on a promontory on the neck, helping to hold the heavy beak. The tail, back and wings are painted in dark gray or black color.

Oriental stork

Latin name-Ciconia boyciana. Relates to endangered species, in Russia the number of these birds does not exceed three thousand. Birds, like black and white storks are monogamous. Resemble the white storks, but more massive, and their beak is painted black. Has other names: Chinese, czarnoglowy stork. The skin area around the eyes in the far Eastern storks painted in red. The extermination of individuals of this species entails not only fine, but imprisonment.

Food storks

The Main tool for hunting from storks-bill. What to eat storks? The basis of the diet is animal food: from small insects, mollusks, insects and amphibians to small mammals. You can often see storks eating snakes and frogs. Stork, a description of which is presented to your attention the article is able to catch a small bird, mouse, rabbit or squirrel. Usually the storks are slow, but I can pursue particularly interesting prey. There are cases when these birds travel great (5-10 km) distance from breeding areas to produce enough food for Chicks.

The Food stork swallows a whole, can bring a large number of their children. The structure of these birds also allows you to bring the beak in the water. Hunting, stork is easily able to masquerade as the surrounding vegetation, maintains quiescence or walks very slowly. Sounds these birds almost never published, so don't draw attention to yourself prey. Sometimes for dinner, the stork could choose the eggs of other birds.

Eating storks, we already know. I wonder how many? Because the bird is huge, and as you already know, food can swallow whole. For the normal functioning of the body of an adult stork an average of 700 grams of food per day. Storks – excellent hunters, there are cases when they caught up to 50 mice per hour.

Life expectancy

How I live storks? In an ideal artificial conditions birds can live for over a quarter century. And how many storks live in the wild? Rare species live up to 15 years. Prevent long life of storks factors such as environmental conditions, natural selection, disease, lack of food, the harm caused by humans and predators. Sometimes representatives of this family have reduced the life expectancy of their counterparts, zakletva sick birds. It is noticed that the longest storks live where the energy is positive, where there is no cursing a number of people, where the peace and tranquility.

Places of wintering storks

The Stork-a migratory bird, except for the South African birds that live in the same place, never leaving. They are looking for a place to survive winter, where it will be warm enough and plenty of food. Old and young species of storks are sent to winter in warmer climes separately. As a rule, it occurs in the period from late August to October. The flights occur during the day, birds flying high, direction for European and Oriental storks.

The Birds, the habitats of which are located West of the Elbe, heading for the Iberian Peninsula, then moving to Africa via Gibraltar. In the end, winter bird in West Africa, in the area between the Sahara desert and the tropics. Here winter and European storks, and birds of the Iberian Peninsula and from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.

Birds breeding areas which are located East of the Elbe, go for a long winter on the territory between the Sudan and South Africa. They fly first to the Bosporus, then cut across the lands of Asia Minor and Palestine, flying over the Nile river, before they reach their ultimate destination. Part of the pack can remain in South Arabia, part choose for wintering Ethiopia, the others continue their long journey, some came to India.

Different wintering storks and depending on species: white survive the winter in Africa, Pakistan, India, the Bark on the Japanese Islands. Black – South of the Sahara, in the basin of the Ganges river, in the southeastern part of China.

The Chicks

Most Often, in laying more eggs than hatch Chicks: some of the eggs remain unfertilized. Incubation lasts from 30 to 46 days.

Little istata have a vision, but otherwise helpless during the first 70 days of life. The Chicks are white and fluffy, hatching after about 10 days of laying, and the first 7 weeks are permanently in place of birth – the nest. Even after the bird has learned to fly, the parents help him in search of food every 2-3 weeks.

While the stork Chicks are in the nest, their weight may exceed the weight of parents, but gradually their power limit. Sick, weak Chicks storks thrown out of the nest, leaving only able to fight for life. The sexual maturity comes at the age of three years, gnedovets birds start later – 6 years.

Habitat

What determines the habitat of storks? Bird to find and buy her food, often inhabits marshes, wet meadows and ponds with stagnant water. The storks preferred climate for tropical, temperate or hot. Marabu build nests in trees, black storks prefer forests, white-plain, Jabiru – marshland.

White storks live in Europe, Northwest Africa, Asia Minor, Central Asia, the Amur and Primorye, on the Japanese Islands. Black storks live in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula, in the South to the Persian Gulf, in the North-to Saint-Petersburg, Tomsk. For the black stork preferred place for nesting – those where there are old forests, impassable swamps. This bird does not like to coexist with people.

Stork Nests

Nests of these birds take a lot of space: the diameter is 2 meters and a weight...