We know storks since childhood. These are the very birds that make their nests on the pillars and roofs of our houses. They say that if a stork settled, it means happiness came to the family. Perhaps that is why no one offends these graceful long-legged and long-billed handsome men. And those in response are not at all afraid of people.
But in reality, the life of storks is not as simple as it seems. Among them there are those who close to themselves and do not allow anyone to settle in the most inaccessible places. From these certainly you will not get happiness. And in the many-sided family of storks there are enviable flyers who annually overcome thousands of kilometers, there are also couch potatoes that you can’t drive out of the habitable places. Where do storks live in summer and winter, how do they look for a mate, how do they raise their children, and is it true that they bring happiness? Let's get it right.
What are the storks
Few people have ever seen slender white with black birds on long red legs with a long red beak. Some homeowners with such figures from synthetic materials decorate their gardens, even build artificial nests on poles and put the figures there. These birds are called storks. According to popular beliefs, they bring a lot of good things to the house - children, luck, money, happiness. So people settle them in their plots, if not living, then at least artificial. The life of storks in nature is complex and interesting.
Many people know that they can stand on one leg for a long time, looking for prey, that they fly in the spring, and fly away in the fall, that they do no harm to anyone. Do you know how many species of storks exist in the world? According to the generally accepted classification, there are only three genera:
- Kluvachi storks (they are a bit like a heron).
- Razini storks (they always have a slightly open beak).
- Actually storks.
Each clan has its own species. So, beaks are:
- American
- gray
- African
- Indian.
Razini are:
- African
- Indian.
And looking at the above names, everyone can answer where the storks of these species live. But a slightly different picture is obtained with storks that are more familiar to us. In this genus there are birds:
- black
- white
- black-billed;
- white-necked;
- white-bellied;
- American
- Malay.
There are two more kinds of birds that look like storks and even belong to the family of storks - this is yabiru and marabou.
Let's take a closer look at some types.
White storks
These are the very birds whose figures some homeowners love to settle in their gardens and pipes. The life of white storks, it would seem, has been well studied, because they are always in sight, completely not afraid of people. Males in these birds grow up to 125 cm in height and gain up to 4 kg of weight. At the same time, their wingspan can reach 2 meters. The body of white storks (head, chest, stomach, wings) is white, only the tip of the tail and the ends of the feathers on the wings are black. Their paws are thin and long, reddish in color, the beak is also thin and long, most often bright red. The portrait of a female white stork is exactly the same, only her size is a little more modest.
Places where white storks live are mainly meadows and swampy lowlands. Any amphibians, snakes (mainly vipers and snakes), earthworms, and bugs serve as food for them. They do not disdain the hated bears, mice and rats, eating which, really bring happiness to the house. Adult storks do not even refuse moles, little hares and gophers.
It is interesting to observe how birds hunt. They leisurely, as if half asleep walking in a meadow or swamp, sometimes freeze in one place, as if meditating. But only they catch prey, the storks instantly come to life and quickly grab their prey.
These birds have been building houses, as they say, for centuries and never change them. A case is known when one nest lasted for nearly 400 years! Of course, all this time he was occupied not by the same stork. The lifespan of these birds is about 20 years, so for four centuries generations have changed quite a few. But the “apartment” of dry twigs and straw was occupied by representatives of the same family. That is, from her father she passed on to her son and so on.
But you can’t say much about the cordial fidelity of these birds. They create a solid family, but only for one season. The male is the first to fly to his expensive home, correct him, if necessary, and sits down to wait for the chosen one. She can be any female who first flew up to an enviable groom. He throws back his violent little head, almost puts it on his back, opens his beak and starts to make a joyful clatter. If suddenly at this stage another pretender to the heart and living space approaches the nest, the first one begins to sort things out with her, and the male dutifully waits for someone to take.
The only situation when he is anxious is if suddenly another male who does not want to build his own house will look at his property. Then the owner of the nest throws back his head again and begins to click with his beak, only not joyfully, but menacingly. If the uninvited guest does not understand the hints, the owner of the nest rushes at him and painfully beats with his beak.
Well, the housing issue is settled, with the chosen one too. The bride and groom sit down in a nest, both throw back their heads and begin to rejoice, while clapping and gently hitting each other with beaks.
Breeding
These birds have chosen for themselves many regions of Europe, including southern Switzerland, the Leningrad region, almost the entire territory of Ukraine, and in Belarus there are so many storks that they were called the winged symbol of the country. To the question of where the storks live in Russia, one can answer that representatives of the white stork species can only be found in its western part, from the borders with Ukraine to Orel, Kaluga, Smolensk, Pskov and Tver. A separate population is available in Transcaucasia and Uzbekistan. In the European part, storks return from the southern regions in March-April.
After choosing a pair, they begin to extend the genus. Carefully lining the nest with rags, pieces of paper, feathers and wool, the female lays the first egg in the tray and immediately begins to hatch it. In the future, she gradually turns out to add another 3-5 slightly oblong white testicles to the first-born.
It is noted that the place where storks live must be with good energy. On the courtyards, where they built a house for themselves, there should not be scandals and abuse, and especially war.
Dad and mom incubate the testicles in turn for about 33 days. Chicks are born as unevenly as eggs. They are born sighted, but completely helpless. At first they only know how to open their beaks, where parents put earthworms and give them water to drink. But after a couple of days, the young generation itself is able to collect worms dropped by their parents and even grab them on the fly.
Dad and mom vigilantly watch the activity of their offspring. Unfortunately, they provide the weakest ones with the opportunity to take care of themselves on their own, pushing them from the nest to the ground. The remaining chicks quickly gain strength, but are fully dependent up to 55 days. Then they begin to leave the nest during the day and learn to catch their own food. Parents feed them another 18 days. In the evening, young growth returns to bed home, and in the morning they go off to study again.
Migration routes
Many are interested in where storks live in winter, and why they fly away. It is easy to answer the second question - with the onset of cold weather their food disappears. The answer to the first question is more extensive. On the 70th day of their bird life, chicks become young storks, gather in large companies, and from the last days of summer without a parent flocks go south.
Scientists are still arguing how they find their way to a place where they have never been before, but the basic assumption is instinct embedded in the bird genes. It is believed that they are guided by atmospheric pressure, lighting and ambient temperature. It is noticed that storks avoid flying over large bodies of water, for example over the sea.
Adult birds leave summer apartments somewhere from the 15th of September. Surprisingly, it turns out that it is important for migration routes where storks and ducks live too. Birds spending the summer west of the Elbe migrate to Africa and settle in the region between the Sahara and the tropical jungle. Those living east of the Elbe make their way through Israel and Asia Minor, also reach Africa, only its eastern regions, and winter on the lands from Sudan to South Africa. Storks from Uzbekistan and surrounding areas do not fly so far for the winter, but move to neighboring India.
There is a population of storks living in South Africa. These generally do not migrate anywhere, live settled. Storks from Europe do not fly away for the winter, where winters are not severe, and food remains active all year. In the spring, they again form flocks to fly home, but young growth can remain in the south for a year, two or three, until maturity is reached.
Black storks
Representatives of this species managed to get into the Red Book of many countries, including Russia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, and this despite the fact that black storks, unlike white storks, never settle next to people, but choose the most remote and territories hidden from prying eyes, sometimes climbing into the mountains to a height of over 2 km.
Nests are built in rocks or on tall trees. Where do black storks live? Also in Europe, and in Russia they settled from the Baltic to the Far East. Overwinter, they fly away to Africa and South Asia. Populations living in Africa are not moving anywhere.
Outwardly, these birds are very graceful. In size, they are somewhat smaller than their white relatives. Most of their bodies (head, neck, back, wings) are black with overflow, white is only their belly, which makes it appear that these birds are dressed in elegant tailcoats.
The rhythms of their life are the same as the white storks, but there are also slight differences. So, the male does not wait indifferently for the first girlfriend who gets, but invites her to his house, fluffing his tail and whistling. Chicks of this species are born even more helpless than white storks, and begin to rise to their legs only on the 11th day. But in the nest, young animals spend the same 55 (less often - a little longer) days.
They have approximately the same diet and diet with white storks. It has not yet been possible to cross the white and black storks, despite many common features.
Far Eastern Stork
It is also called Chinese. Where does the stork live and what does it eat? Of course, he took a fancy to the Far East, as well as China, South Korea and Mongolia. In Russia, only 3, 000 individuals remained.
The diet of the bird is the same as that of its other counterparts - small fish, bugs, frogs, small rodents. Just like the black one, the Far Eastern stork prefers to get away from people's eyes.
Externally, representatives of this species are very similar to white storks. The difference is larger, but the main thing is the red circle of the skin around the eyes and the black color of their beak, which is why the other name of the species is the black-billed stork. Curiously, the chicks of the Far Eastern beak are red-orange, and the chicks of white are black.
White-necked stork
If you are interested in where storks and ducks live, the answer - near ponds and marshes - is most suitable for white-necked storks, because the main dishes in their diet are toads, small and medium fish, living and non-living, as well as water snakes and other representatives of the fauna that will fit in its beak. For example, if the chance arises to catch a small rodent, white-necked storks will also not miss the moment.
Representatives of this species in Russia can only be seen in zoos. In the wild, they live in Africa, Java, Borneo, Bali and some other islands. White-necked storks are medium-sized birds, grow up to 90 cm. Their white is not only the neck, but also the bottom of the abdomen, as well as the lower feathers of the tail. The rest of the body, including the spectacular cap on his head, is black, and the feathers shimmer beautifully on the sides. The legs of these storks are long, yellow-orange-reddish, and the beak is completely incomprehensible in color, combining shades of gray, red, yellow and brown.
White-bellied Stork
Representatives of the species are very similar to black relatives, but they are much smaller in size and are the smallest storks. Adult males grow no more than 73 cm tall and weigh only 1 kg. In Russia, they live only in zoos, and in nature their range is South Africa, Central Africa and the edge of the Arabian Peninsula. The white-bellied stork eats caterpillars and bugs, does not encroach on rodents and snakes. It settles mainly in forests, on tall trees.
Stork
There are many places where storks and ducks live, as well as other birds - lovers to settle near ponds. For example, stork-razini. Their habitats are Madagascar, parts of Africa and Southeast Asia. There are no winter cold, but razini storks still migrate.
They rise to the wing when the heat sets in, and the water bodies dry up, which means that their food disappears. So they have to fly to where the water still remains, and in it you can catch fish and other animals.
Razini got its name because of the structure of the beak, which seems to be slightly ajar all the time. In fact, nature has thought everything through and created their beak adapted for eating mussels and crustaceans, and not just fish and toads.
