Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families.
Fast Facts about Storks
1. Storks have long legs, long necks and long beaks. They are wading birds.
2. Stork feathers are usually white, black, gray, brown or some combination.
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3. Some storks are colony nesters; others only nest in pairs.
4. The wood stork is the only stork that breeds in the US.
5. The modern English word comes from Old English “storc”, which is in turn related to “stark”, probably in reference to the bird’s stiff or rigid posture
6. Storks can hiss, honk, croak, squeal and whistle. They also clatter their beaks.
7. They use their long, deep bills to catch fish, frogs and other small animals.
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8. Storks are heavy birds. They can’t fly very far by flapping their wings. Instead, they glide on warm air currents called thermals.
9. Storks make huge nests in trees, on cliffs, on roofs or even on the tops of telephone poles. The nests are used year after year. They can be 9 feet wide or larger.
10. A stork can live 20 to 30 years.
