Black Stork
The Black Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family. Whilst slightly smaller than the White Stork, the Black Stork is a large bird, 37 to 39 inches in length with a 4.5 to 5 feet wingspan and standing as tall as 40 inches. Like all storks, it has long legs, a long neck, and a long, straight, pointed beak.
The Black Stork’s plumage is all black with a purplish green sheen, except for the white lower breast, belly, axillaries and undertail coverts. The breast feathers are long and shaggy forming a ruff which is used in some courtship displays. The bare skin around its eyes is red as are its red bill and legs. The sexes are identical in appearance, except that males are larger than females on average.
The Black Stork walks slowly and steadily on the ground and, like all storks, it flies with its neck outstretched. It has a rasping call but rarely indulges in mutual bill-clattering like the White Stork when adults meet at the nest.
The Black Stork is a widespread but uncommon species that breeds from eastern Asia (Siberia and China) west to central Europe, reaching Estonia in the north, Poland, Lower Saxony and Bavaria in Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy and Greece in the south with an outlying population in Spain and Portugal.
The Black Stork is a strong migrant, wintering in tropical Africa and India. It migrates from its breeding areas from the middle of August to the end of September and returns in the middle of March. A broad-winged soaring bird, it is assisted by thermals of hot air for long distance flight, although it is less dependent on them than the White Stork. Since thermals only form over land, storks, together with large raptors, must cross the Mediterranean at the narrowest points, and many Black Storks can be seen going through the Straits of Gibraltar and the Bosphorus.
The Black Stork prefers more wooded areas than the White Stork and it breeds in large marshy wetlands with interspersed coniferous or broadleaved woodlands but also inhabits hills and mountains with sufficient networks of creeks.
Date: 8th May 2015
Location: Evros Delta (west), East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece
The Black Stork’s plumage is all black with a purplish green sheen, except for the white lower breast, belly, axillaries and undertail coverts. The breast feathers are long and shaggy forming a ruff which is used in some courtship displays. The bare skin around its eyes is red as are its red bill and legs. The sexes are identical in appearance, except that males are larger than females on average.
The Black Stork walks slowly and steadily on the ground and, like all storks, it flies with its neck outstretched. It has a rasping call but rarely indulges in mutual bill-clattering like the White Stork when adults meet at the nest.
The Black Stork is a widespread but uncommon species that breeds from eastern Asia (Siberia and China) west to central Europe, reaching Estonia in the north, Poland, Lower Saxony and Bavaria in Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy and Greece in the south with an outlying population in Spain and Portugal.
The Black Stork is a strong migrant, wintering in tropical Africa and India. It migrates from its breeding areas from the middle of August to the end of September and returns in the middle of March. A broad-winged soaring bird, it is assisted by thermals of hot air for long distance flight, although it is less dependent on them than the White Stork. Since thermals only form over land, storks, together with large raptors, must cross the Mediterranean at the narrowest points, and many Black Storks can be seen going through the Straits of Gibraltar and the Bosphorus.
The Black Stork prefers more wooded areas than the White Stork and it breeds in large marshy wetlands with interspersed coniferous or broadleaved woodlands but also inhabits hills and mountains with sufficient networks of creeks.
Date: 8th May 2015
Location: Evros Delta (west), East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece
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Also in: East Macedonia and Thrace
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