Storks (lat. Сisonia) - a genus of fairly large body sizes, the so-called swamp birds. All representatives of this genus, in strict accordance with the established scientific classification, belong to the Ankle or Stork order, as well as the Stork family.
Description of the stork
Representatives of the genus Storks are characterized by the presence of long and bare legs, covered with mesh-type skin.. The bird has a long, straight and conical beak. The front short toes are connected to each other by a wide swimming membrane and have pinkish claws. In some places there is completely bare skin in the head and neck area.
Appearance
External features are completely due to the species characteristics of storks:
- In a black stork, the upper part of the body is covered with black feathers with a greenish and red tint, and a white feather is located on the lower part. The chest is crowned with rather thick and noticeably shaggy feathers, a bit reminiscent of a fur collar;
- The white-bellied stork is characterized by predominantly black coloration, as well as pure white underwings and chest. The legs of the stork of this species are red, and the beak has a gray color. The skin located around the eyes is red, but with the onset of the mating season it acquires a characteristic blue color;
- The white-necked stork has a characteristic black cap on its head, and from the neck area (in the back of the head) to the anterior chest zone there is a fluffy white plumage. The rest of the plumage is predominantly black with a reddish tinge to the shoulders. White feathers are present on the belly and lower part of the tail, and dark green color is characteristic of cover feathers;
- The Malayan woolly-necked stork has a black and white primary plumage and a red beak. The skin of the face is without feathers, orange in color, with yellowish circles in the eye area. The feathers of adults and young birds outside the breeding season have a more modest, rustic coloration;
- The American stork is characterized by predominantly white plumage with tail feathers and a black forked tail. The species is distinguished by a blue-gray bill with orange-red leathery areas around the eyes and an iris of pure white coloration;
- White storks have a characteristic white plumage with black tips on the wings, long neck, as well as a long and thin red beak, long and reddish legs. Due to the blackish coloration with folded wings, on the territory of Ukraine, the bird of this species was called "Chernoguz".
Rare Far Eastern storks resemble the white stork in appearance, but have a more powerful black beak and bright red legs. Around the eyes of representatives of this species is red non-feathered skin. Chicks have white feathers and a reddish-orange beak.
Character and lifestyle
Very common white storks are inhabitants of low-lying meadows and often settle in wetlands, and also often select sites for nesting near human habitations. Looking for food, storks calmly and slowly walk around the area, but when they see their prey, they quickly run up and quickly grab it.
It is interesting! Voice communication is replaced by beak-clicking, in which the stork throws its head far over the back and retracts its tongue, due to which the sound is amplified by a well-resonant oral cavity.
Far Eastern storks also live close to water bodies and wet places, but the most important difference between the lifestyle of this species and the white stork is the choice for nests of the most deaf and hard-to-reach places, away from residential areas.
How long do storks live
The average life expectancy of different representatives of the genus Storks directly depends on the characteristics of the species and their habitat. White storks are able to live in natural conditions for about twenty years, but subject to the rules of captivity, this figure is often much higher.
Many representatives of the Far Eastern storks in captivity lived even to the age of half a century. According to observations, the maximum average life expectancy of a black stork in captivity can be three decades, but in natural conditions this figure rarely exceeds sixteen years.
Types of storks
Currently, there are several types of representatives of the genus Storks:
- () - a fairly large bird, distinguished by the original color of plumage. Height does not exceed 110-112 cm with an average weight of 3.0 kg and a wingspan of 150-155 cm;
- white-bellied stork (Сisonia abdimii) - a relatively small bird, no more than 72-74 cm long and weighing up to one kilogram;
- white-necked stork (Cisonia ériscopus) - a medium-sized representative of the genus Storks, having a body length in the range of 80-90 cm;
- Malayan woolly-necked storks (Сisonia stormi) - a rare species of the Stork family with a body length of not more than 75-91 cm;
- american stork (Ciconia maguari) - a South American representative of the Stork family, differing in body length at the level of 90 cm, with a wingspan of not more than 115-120 cm and an average weight of 3.4-3.5 kg;
- White storks (Siconia sisonia) - large wading birds with a maximum height of at least 1.0-1.25 m with a wingspan of 15.5-2.0 m and a body weight of 3.9-4.0 kg.
It is interesting! The image of a stork is quite widespread in heraldry, and the presence of such a feathered bird on the coat of arms symbolizes foresight and vigilance.
Range, habitats
A couple of species belonging to the genus Stork live on the territory of Europe: Black stork (C. nigra) and White stork(C. alba). These species belong to the category of migratory birds that appear in Central Europe from February to March. In England, representatives of the species are not found at all.
White-bellied storks live in Africa, from Ethiopia to South Africa, and white-bellied storks are found only in Indochina and India, the Philippines and the African tropics, on the island of Java. Malayan woolly-necked storks are common in Sumatra and Borneo, are found in southern Thailand, in western Malaysia, and also in Brunei. The bird prefers freshwater biotopes untouched by progress with adjacent low-lying forest zones, and also settles near rivers or in floodplain areas.
It is interesting! The population is found in the northern part of Korea and the northeastern part of China, as well as in Mongolia. For wintering, the flocking species migrates to the south and southeast of China, where it lives in wet areas in the form of shallow reservoirs and rice fields.
American storks currently live in South America and the eastern part from Venezuela, up to the territory of Argentina, where they prefer to inhabit exclusively wet areas and agricultural lands. The range of distribution of the Far Eastern stork is mainly represented by the territory of our country, including the Far Eastern territory, where Primorye and the Amur Region, the river basins of the Amur, Zeya and Ussuri are classified as habitats.
Stork Diet
The prey of the American stork is most often fish and frogs, crayfish and small rodents, snakes and water insects, as well as some invertebrates. White storks eat:
- small vertebrates;
- various invertebrates;
- frogs and toads;
- snakes and;
- large-sized locusts and grasshoppers;
- earthworms;
- bear and May beetles;
- dead or sick small fish;
- not too large lizards;
- mammals in the form of mice and rats, moles, rabbits, and;
- small feathers.
White-bellied storks feed mainly on caterpillars and locusts, and also use other fairly large insects as food. White-necked storks are most often found in park areas or near water bodies, where they actively exterminate fish, frogs and toads, snakes and lizards, and also actively feed on some invertebrates.
Reproduction and offspring
Initially, all representatives of the Ankle or Stork order from the Stork family nested mainly in trees, near human habitation, where they built a very large nest from branches, the weight of which could well be several centners. Subsequently, such birds began to actively use the roofs of residential buildings or any other buildings to create a nest. Currently, storks are increasingly nesting on high-voltage poles and factory pipes.. The nest created by the stork can serve as a feathered refuge for breeding offspring for several years.
The male stork arrives at the nesting sites several days earlier than the females of this species appear there. Birds arrive on the territory of our country at the end of March or at the beginning of April. The very first female that appears near the nest will be considered by the male as his own, but very often several females fight for the right to produce offspring. The male stork takes care of the chosen female, making rather frequent and loud clattering sounds with its beak. Similar sounds are made by a male when approaching a foreign male's nest, after which the owner of the nest uses his beak to attack and stab the enemy.
Depending on the species, the number of eggs laid can vary from two to seven, but most often there are two to five. The eggs of the stork are covered with a white shell, and are incubated by the pair together. As a rule, males incubate offspring during the daytime, and females exclusively at night. In the process of changing the hen, the birds make a special clatter with their beaks and use ritual poses.
Incubation lasts a little over a month, after which sighted, but completely helpless chicks hatch from the eggs. At the very first time, hatched stork chicks feed mainly on earthworms, which are actively ejected from the throat of their parents. Mature chicks are quite capable of independently snatching food directly from the parent's beak.
It is interesting! The oldest one today is a stork's nest, which was built by birds of this species on a tower located in eastern Germany and served as a feathered home from 1549 to 1930.
Adult birds vigilantly monitor and control the behavior and health of all offspring, so too weak or sick chicks are mercilessly thrown out of the nest. About eight weeks after birth, young storks take off for the first time under the supervision of their parents. For almost two more, and sometimes even three weeks, such storks are fed and taught to fly well, improving their flight skills, parents. Nevertheless, storks acquire full independence in the last decade of summer, after which they fly away to warm places for the winter. Adult storks migrate to overwinter around September. Birds reach puberty at the age of three, but prefer to nest later, at about the age of six.
From time immemorial, these majestic birds live next to a person, enjoying his special respect and reciprocating: they are practically not afraid of people, arrange nests near a person’s dwelling, importantly looking down on their two-legged neighbors. It is believed that the stork protects the house from the evil eye and evil spirits, in the house next to which the storks settled, there will always be happiness and prosperity.
In the Stork family there are 18 species of birds belonging to 9 genera and distributed in various territories around the planet. Some species that were lucky enough to be born in warm lands lead a sedentary lifestyle. Others are migratory, waiting out the winter cold in Africa and India.
Most common in Russia White stork- a large bird, with a long conical beak, long legs and a long neck, characteristic of all members of the family. The plumage is white, the ends of the wings are black, shiny, around the eyes there is bare black skin, the chin is also black, the legs and beak are red. The height of an adult bird is over 1 m, the wingspan reaches 2 m, and the weight is 3.5–4 kg. Females and males are identical in appearance, only the female is slightly smaller in size. White storks do not have vocal cords and membranes, so they are practically dumb, but they can make a loud chirp by clicking their beak. Storks reach sexual maturity at about 3 years of age. Life expectancy is about 20 years.
The diet consists of small mammals (mice, ground squirrels, hares), frogs, lizards, reptiles, various insects, fish and shellfish. Sometimes they can catch a small bird or chick.
White storks arrive in our area for nesting in late March or early April. Nests are built on large trees, on the roofs of buildings, on boiler pipes, on power lines. Nests, as a rule, are very large and bulky - 1-1.5 m in diameter, so a family of small birds - sparrows or wagtails - often settles here.
Around the end of April, beginning of May, with an interval of 2-3 days, the female lays 1 to 5 eggs in the nest, they are white, shiny, the size of a large egg. Both parents incubate the eggs for 33-35 days. The chicks appear sighted but helpless and do not leave the nest until almost 2 months of age. After leaving the nest, caring parents still feed them for 2-3 weeks, and at the age of 70 days, the chicks finally become independent and prepare to fly to warmer climes with the rest of their relatives.
At first, storks gather in small groups, which by the time of departure grow into large flocks, and in wintering places they already form colonies of many thousands. Around the end of August, departure to warm countries begins, stretching for a month or more. Storks fly only in the daytime, at high altitude, avoiding flights over the sea. These birds are very hardy and fly well, often using air currents to hover above the ground - which is why their constant routes lie over areas that have good aerodynamic properties.
still lives in Russia Far Eastern stork- almost a copy of the white stork, but much larger in size and with a black beak. Lifestyle - like a white stork, settles in hard-to-reach places, in dense forests near water bodies, since the main diet is fish. Unfortunately, this species is endangered, its population is only about 1000 individuals.
Distributed throughout Eurasia Black stork, it is slightly smaller than white (3-3.5 kg) and has a voice. The plumage is black, with a greenish or reddish tint, the chest and belly are white, the beak, legs, throat and unfeathered places on the bridle and near the eyes are red.
The black stork feeds in shallow waters, water meadows, mainly with fish, small aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates. Will not refuse small rodents, lizards, large insects.
The black stork is shy and cautious, leads a very secretive lifestyle, preferring to settle away from humans - in dense forests, closer to forest reservoirs. The nest is built in the crown of tall trees, using thick branches, fastening them with clay and pieces of turf. Such a dwelling serves the birds for many years, often being inherited by subsequent generations.
In the clutch of a black stork, there are 4-7 eggs, both parents incubate them. Since incubation begins with the first egg laid and the chicks do not appear at the same time, the total incubation is from 30 to 46 days. For the first 10 days, the chicks are helpless and lie in the nest, then they begin to sit down and only at the age of 35-40 days stand on their feet. After that, they remain in the nest in the care of their parents for another month.
Although black storks live apart, by departure they often join flocks of white storks and fly together for the winter.
In Belarus, the stork (Bel. “busel”) is a particularly revered bird, it is a symbol of the country. It is very popular among the people, many legends and beliefs are associated with it, which are mostly beautiful fiction. For Belarusians, the stork is practically a sacred, inviolable bird.
Why is the white stork not completely white?
In ancient times, in the same village, white storks lived together with people, they even helped to look after small children while the peasants worked in the field. And then one day, during a drought, a strong fire began, threatening to destroy all the peasant buildings. Brave birds were the first to notice this and began to carry children out of the houses, covering them with wings from heat and flame. Arriving people put out the fire. And the storks that day burned their beaks and legs - they turned red, and the burnt wings turned black at the edges. Since appearance birds remained the same - as a memory of the joint confrontation of the elements.
Where did the black stork come from?
Once upon a time, there were only white storks on Belarusian soil. They always settled near the dwelling of a person, lived with him in harmony and friendship. And in one village, storks built their nest on a tall linden that grew near the house itself. Every spring they returned to their nest from distant lands and greeted with joyful screams their native places and the owner of the house near which they lived. Only this man was cruel, envious and lazy. He hated storks for their diligence and economy. He angrily watched as adult birds feed and raise their chicks, surrounding them with tenderness and care. And he rejoiced only when the storks sadly said goodbye to their native expanses, setting off for wintering in distant lands. I rejoiced and hoped that they would not return any more - they would die somewhere on the way to distant lands ...
But every spring this pair returned to their nest. And once a man could not stand it, gave vent to his hatred and set fire to a linden tree, on top of which there was a nest. The old linden burned down along with the nest, in which there were helpless chicks. In desperation, the storks threw themselves into the flames, trying to help their babies, but they could not save. Their feathers are almost completely blackened from burns.
With pain from irreparable grief, these storks left people forever and settled in the most impenetrable wilderness. Since then, their children have also become black. To this day, black storks carry a huge grudge against a person, avoid meeting with him and live away from settlements - in hard-to-reach places.
Interesting Facts:
Ornithologists have noticed that white storks periodically carry out a kind of "purge of the ranks", killing weak, non-viable relatives.
Storks build capital nests, using them for many years later. For example, in Germany, a case was recorded when a nest built in the middle of the 16th century served storks until 1930.
One of the largest Black Stork populations in the world lives in Belarus, in the Zvanets reserve (Brest region).
In zoos, attempts have been made to cross white and black storks and get hybrid offspring. But this proved impossible due to the strong differences in the mating rituals of these species.
The stork is a rather large bird with high legs, long neck and beak.
The most famous among storks is the white stork. It is called because the color of the plumage of this bird is predominantly white, but the ends of the wings have a shiny black color. When the bird's wings are folded, it seems that the entire back of the stork is black.
The white stork is distributed throughout the European part. It also lives in Asia. These birds winter in the warm regions of India and Africa. Storks live in swampy areas, in low-lying meadows. They can also be found near human dwellings. They are not afraid of people. Storks nest on the roofs of houses, in trees. The nests they built serve them for many years. After wintering, white birds fly to former place nesting. Male storks always arrive first. They repair their nests in anticipation of their "spouses". The older the nest, the more powerful it is and the larger in circumference. Storks live for about 20-22 years. And by the end of their lives, their nests weigh about a hundred kilograms. Not only the host storks themselves nest in them, but also other birds. After the death of adults, the nest is "inherited" to the children of storks.
Storks eat toads, frogs, lizards, mice, insects, ground squirrels. Adult storks feed small chicks with earthworms, grasshoppers, May beetles. And they bring clean water in their beak and pour it into the little beaks of their babies. After two months, the stork chicks are looking for their own food.
A selection of photos and pictures of storks
Storks are a genus of birds in the stork family, order Storks. These birds are easily recognizable, they are distinguished by long legs, a long neck, a rather massive body and a long beak. These birds are the owners of large and powerful wings, they are wide and allow storks to easily rise into the air.
The legs of these birds are only partially feathered, the fingers on the limbs do not have membranes. The size of storks is quite large: the weight of an adult bird is from three to five kilograms. At the same time, females and males do not differ in size, and indeed there is no sexual dimorphism in these birds.
The plumage of storks contains black and white colors, in different quantities, depending on the species.
The most famous types of storks:
- White-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus)
- (Ciconia nigra)
- Black-billed stork (Ciconia boyciana)
- White-bellied stork (Ciconia abdimii)
- (Ciconia ciconia)
- Malayan woolly-necked stork (Ciconia stormi)
- American stork (Ciconia maguari)
Where do storks live?
Birds from the genus of storks live in Europe, Africa, Asia, in addition, storks and South America inhabit.
Southern species are sedentary, northern storks make seasonal migrations. These birds live in pairs or not very large groups. Before flying to warmer climes, storks gather in small groups of 10-25 individuals.
All types of storks are dependent on water bodies, so they try to settle near water. But some still arrange nests in the thick of the forest, flying to the reservoir only to search for food.
Listen to the voice of the stork
What does a stork eat?
The menu of storks is made up of small animals: worms, mollusks, frogs, lizards and fish. Storks look out for their food in shallow water, now and then walking in different directions. If the stork notices prey, then it sharply stretches its long neck forward and pierces the victim with all its might with its sharp beak. The bird then quickly swallows its "lunch".
About the reproduction of storks in nature
These birds are monogamous, i.e., once choosing a partner, they remain paired only with him. A new partner can appear only in the event of the death of the previous one. Storks build their nests from a huge number of branches. In the middle of the nest, something like a rammed tray is arranged. The "house" of the stork is a fairly solid structure that can withstand several individuals of these large birds. It often happens that after the death of the parents, one of the chicks inherits the family nest.
The female stork during the breeding season lays 2 - 5 eggs, the incubation period lasts for 34 days. Both parents incubate the future offspring, when one acts as a hen, the second brings him food.
Enemies of storks in nature
Storks - large birds so they have no detractors in nature. They build their nests high, so that ground hunters cannot reach them, and their impressive size and sharp beak protect storks from attacks from feathered predators from the air.
Signs associated with storks
According to ancient beliefs, if a family of storks has built a nest on the roof or near the house, then peace, tranquility and prosperity await the owners. People themselves have always associated storks with an addition to the family; it is not for nothing that people say “the stork brought” about a newborn or future child. These majestic birds have always evoked a feeling of admiration and reverence among people, it was before, and is observed even in our time.
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These amazing birds differ from others not only in their beauty, but also in their extraordinary grace. In external parameters, they look like a heron, only larger in size.
And the stork's nest stands out among others in shape and size. Why is it remarkable? You can find out where and from what these birds build nests by reading this article.
Beliefs about the stork
In lovingly they call white busel, and in Ukraine - Chernoguz or Leleka. There are no birds in the world with which so many legends are associated, will accept and believe, and they are all quite sweet and kind.
The very first sign that comes to mind is that the stork is a bird that brings children to families. In the old days, treats were specially laid out for storks on the windows of the huts for the sake of the appearance of children in the house. And on the roofs they installed wheels from carts so that storks would make their homes there.
It was believed that the stork's nest on the roof of the house would certainly bring happiness and peace to the owners. And the number of storks also had a certain meaning - how many chicks, so many kids are expected in the family.
Both white and black storks live in nature, the former being the most common.
Stork habitats
The white stork is the national bird. The highest density of nesting of this species of birds is registered on the territory of this state. Usually storks nest alone, but there are also large colonial settlements.
They live in almost all areas of Europe, including the Russian European part. There are also in Asia (for example, in Uzbekistan).
Storks arrange their nests in various and unexpected places, even on some. They are not at all afraid of people and settle on trees and roofs of houses in rural settlements.
Many villagers specially prepare places to facilitate the arrangement of nests for birds - they install poles with circles, cut off extra branches on trees. Civilization and people do not frighten storks at all. However, birds still do not lose caution in relation to humans.
General information about stork nests
This amazingly beautiful and noble bird builds a very large nest (up to 1.5 meters in diameter). The weight of such a dwelling can reach 250 kg. Basically, the nest is built by a stork on the roof of a man-made structure, or on broken treetops near water bodies (rivers and lakes) or swamps.
As a rule, one nest is used by storks for years. The birds always return to their old dwelling, and the males arrive earlier and guard it until the female returns. But the nest before breeding the chicks is again put in order, repaired, so its size increases every year. The height is usually 50 centimeters, and the old nest as a result of such reconstructions can even reach a height of 1.5 meters.
In Germany, the oldest stork nest was used by birds for 381 years.
What is the nest made of?
Stork nests are built from twigs and large branches. They line the tray with hay, old grass and straw. Sometimes old rags, wool, paper, etc. are used as lining at the bottom of the nest.
With all this, each nest is built differently. All storks have their own peculiarity in planning the construction of a cozy nest. For example, there is a difference in the construction of nests in white and black storks, which is more detailed information presented below.
White storks
The most famous of all birds of this species is the white stork, which breeds in Russia in the European part of the country. Its wintering grounds are Africa and India.
The height of the bird is 120 centimeters, its weight is four kilograms. Its distinctive feature is that the stork does not have a voice, but instead knocks with half of its beak, making certain sounds that are understandable to almost all surrounding birds.
White storks are monogamous. In the repaired nest, after returning from wintering, they lay from 1 to 7 eggs, then incubate them alternately (both female and male) for about 34 days.
They prefer to settle along the banks of water bodies: rivers, lakes, swamps. These birds are excellent swimmers, flyers, and surprisingly easy to move on land (even run after prey). The white stork in flight reaches speeds of up to 45 km per hour. During sleep, he stands on one leg, periodically changing it.
white stork nest
The nest of the white stork (outer side) is built from tree branches, the thickness of which reaches even several centimeters. The inner part is laid out with thinner and softer branches, and plant stems, turf, earth, manure, straw and hay are often found in its walls. The lower part is lined with a rather thick layer of softer material - moss, hay, leaves, dry grass, wool, etc.
Also in the nest you can find the most diverse garbage - old rags, films, papers, pieces of rope, etc.
In Russia, the oldest nests of white storks (about 35 years old) were found in the Tver and Kaluga regions. In Western Europe (Germany, Poland and Hungary) there are nests that are over 100 years old.
Black storks
Black storks live in the mountains and in the forest. They prefer to nest in places inaccessible to people, and lay about 5 eggs each. They are also caring parents, both the female and the male incubate the eggs in turn.
The weight of a black stork is about three kilograms. The legs, neck and beak are long. The wingspan reaches 2 meters. During the flight, the stork beautifully stretches its legs and neck, smoothly and slowly flaps its wings.
Unlike the white stork, the black stork has a voice. Among other things, black, in comparison with white, is more thorough in designing its nest - carefully laying branches, using clay and earth.
About baby storks
After the storks have built a nest, and the chicks have hatched from the hatched eggs, the real fuss begins. Their parents will feed them from morning to evening. They are always busy looking for water and food for their chicks. From birth, storks feed on insects.
The food that the chicks grab on the fly is thrown into their mouths from the beak of their parents. And the water flows smoothly into the beak of the chicks. All this happens within the first two months. The chicks eat very well and gain weight quite quickly.
There is a not very pleasant feature of storks - they get rid of sick and weakened chicks.
Strengthened and matured young birds begin to look for food on their own, already without parents. They feed on snakes, insects, lizards, frogs, various rodents, etc.
Today in Ukraine, more and more often you can find a stork's nest on a pole of power lines, a slightly smaller number of them - on trees, and even fewer - on water towers. The smallest number of nests is on various buildings.
Stork nests are also found on the rocks. For example, in Portugal in 1994, more than 2% of nests were built on them. Old dwellings are also found in ruins, on monuments, towers, on straw stacks, piles of dry branches and manure. There are known cases of detection of nests even on the booms of construction truck cranes and on the ground.
The height of the nest location depends on the height of the support. It varies from 0 (on the ground) to several tens of meters (on pipes and other structures). There is a known case of the location of the nest on a hundred-meter tower in Spain. Basically, they are built at an average height of 5 to 20 m.
In many regions of Russia, nests are located on water towers, especially in Kaluga region(73% of nests).
In Lithuania in 1994-2000 storks nested in an old tree in 52% of cases.
Demonstrative behavior of a stork
For mating and breeding birds, the center of social activity is the nest, where you can see their various demonstrations. An interesting fact is that outside the nest, partners tend to ignore each other.
Usually in the spring the male returns to the nest first and protects the dwelling from other storks. A pair is formed on the nest. The host meets strangers approaching storks with a characteristic crackling of the beak, throwing back and lowering its head and spreading its wings. At the same time, he still raises his tail and puffs up the feathers on his neck.
If a female flies to the nest, after a while the demonstrations take on a different character - a welcome ceremony takes place. At the same time, the male, puffing up his feathers and shaking his head from side to side, welcomes the couple. When an alien male tries to sit on the nest, the host assumes a threatening posture: it stands motionless on half-bent legs with wings spread apart, with its tail lifted up, and its head and neck stretched forward. There are many different demonstrations of the stork depending on the situation. There may also be fights.
A beautiful picture (two storks in a nest) can be seen after the formation of a pair. Each of the pair greets the partner flying up to the nest with current demonstrations. Often, both birds in the nest lek in a “duet”, sort out feathers to each other, mostly on the neck and head.
Conclusion
The stork on the roof is the most familiar picture for countryside. Many artists and photographers capture them there.
It should be noted that not everything is so smooth in the world of storks. Often the nests are occupied by other tenants - sparrows, wagtails and starlings, breeding their offspring in a beautiful cozy nest of rooftop owners and harbingers of a happy and prosperous life.
