White Stork

Ciconia ciconia

Delivers messages — and according to legend, babies. Overqualified courier.

Population: ~526,000–588,000 mature individuals globally (2021 estimate), increasing
Habitat: Open farmland, grassy meadows, marshes and shallow wetlands; forages within a few km of the nest; builds large stick nests on trees, poles, pylons, and rooftops near open foraging ground
Fun fact: White storks cool themselves in hot weather via urohidrosis, deliberately defecating onto their own legs so evaporation lowers their body temperature; they've also been observed using moss as a tool, squeezing it in the beak to drip water into chicks' mouths.
Range: Breeds across Europe, northwestern Africa, and western/central Asia (extent of occurrence ~52.7 million km²); winters in sub-Saharan Africa (as far south as South Africa) and parts of the Indian subcontinent, migrating via the Strait of Gibraltar or Levant/Bosphorus flyways to exploit thermals
Diet: Carnivorous generalist — insects (especially beetles, locusts/grasshoppers, crickets), earthworms, fish, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals (rodents), and small birds; readily forages in farmland disturbed by mowing/plowing
Size: 1.1 m
Wingspan: 1.85 m
Lifespan: 39 years

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