Bird / Ciconia nigra

Black Stork

LC

Lowest risk

Migratory

The black stork is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae. Measuring on average 95 to 100 cm from beak tip to end of tail with a 145-to-155 cm (57-to-61 in) wingspan, the adult black stork has mainly black plumage, with white underparts, long red legs and a long pointed red beak. A widespread but uncommon species, it breeds in scattered locations across Europe, and east across the Palearctic to the Pacific Ocean. It is a long-distance migrant, with European populations wintering in tropical Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asian populations in the Indian subcontinent. When migrating between Europe and Africa, it avoids crossing the Mediterranean Sea and detours via the Levant in the east or the Strait of Gibraltar in the west. An isolated, non-migratory, population occurs in Southern Africa.

Range elevation
2000 (high) m
Average mass
3000 g
Range length
95 to 100 cm
Range wingspan
144 to 155 cm
Breeding interval
Black storks breed once annually.
Breeding season
Breeding takes place in late April or May.
Range eggs per season
3 to 5
Range time to hatching
32 to 38 days
Range fledging age
63 to 71 days
Average time to independence
3 weeks
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
3 to 5 years
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
3 to 5 years
Range lifespan
Status: wild
18 (high) years
Range lifespan
Status: captivity
31 (high) years
Average lifespan
Status: wild
18.0 years
Average lifespan
Status: captivity
31.0 years

Mazloom, N. 2006. "Ciconia nigra" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed November 10, 2020 at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ciconia_nigra/

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