Scientific Name
Ciconia ciconia
Family
Ciconiidae
Distribution and Habitat
The White Stork is widespread throughout Europe. It prefers open environments with vast wetlands, such as lagoons, floodplains, riverbanks, lakes, rice fields, and extensively farmed meadows. It migrates to Africa and India for the winter.
Descrizione
This large bird measures between 105 and 120 cm in length, with a weight ranging from 3,000 to 4,500 grams and an impressive wingspan of 150 to 180 cm. The White Stork has a lifespan of up to 30 years.
Diet
A highly adaptable carnivore. Its diet includes small mammals (such as mice), large insects (grasshoppers and locusts), amphibians, snakes, lizards, worms, crustaceans, molluscs, and fish. Occasionally, it may also consume eggs or chicks of other birds. A single stork can eat up to 450 grams of meat per day.
Fun Fact
A Symbol of Fortune and Prosperity: Since ancient times, the White Stork has been regarded as a herald of good luck. The famous legend that storks deliver babies in bundles dropped down chimneys originated in Central and Northern Europe and remains a beloved part of folklore today.
