White Stork
Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758)
OR
WHIST
1340
Family: Ciconiiformes > Ciconiidae
Very much a breeding bird of southern Europe, this red-billed, black and white stork has a small breeding population in southern England, the result of a reintroduction attempt.
The only documented record of a pair of White Storks breeding in Britain is from Scotland in 1416, when a pair was reported to have nested on St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. A small but successful reintroduction programme in East Sussex is responsible for recent breeding attempts.
White Stork populations in southern Europe used to be wholly migratory but a partnership study involving BTO has shown that some White Storks in Portugal are now remain resident throughout the year, a change in behaviour made possible by the availability of feeding opportunities at landfill sites.
Select a topic for more facts and statistics about the White Stork
Identification
White Stork identification is usually straightforward.
SONGS AND CALLS
Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of White Stork, provided by xeno-canto contributors.
Call
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Browse training coursesStatus and Trends
Population size and trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO surveys and atlases with data collected by BTO volunteers.
CONSERVATION STATUS
This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.
| Species of European Conservation Concern | Least Concern |
| IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global) |
Least Concern 
|
| Schedule 1 license required (to disturb) | No |
| Birds Directive Annex 1 | No |
POPULATION SIZE
We have no population estimates for this scarce species.
| BOU Category | A |
|
First Record
|
Recorded in Medieval times |
DISTRIBUTION
White Storks are scarce migrants with a scattering of records, mostly in southern Britain. A current reintroduction program in southeast England is leading to increasing numbers of records and the provenance of individual records is increasingly hard to determine.
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Britain and Ireland Breeding Distribution 2008-2011.
More from the Atlas Mapstore. -
Britain and Ireland Winter Distribution 2008-2011.
More from the Atlas Mapstore.
Occupied 10-km squares in UK
| No. occupied in winter | 14 |
| % occupied in winter | 0.5 |
European Distribution Map
DISTRIBUTION CHANGE
We do not currently have a distribution change for this scarce migrant.
| % change in range in winter (1981–84 to 2007–11) | +200% |
SEASONALITY
White Storks are rare and encountered sporadically throughout the year. Expect this picture to change with the movements of reintroduced birds.
Movement
Information about movement and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.
An overview of year-round movements for the whole of Europe can be seen on the EuroBirdPortal viewer.
RINGING RECOVERIES
View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.
Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland
Biology
Lifecycle and body size information about White Stork, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.
PRODUCTIVITY & NESTING
Sample sizes are too small to report Productivity and Nesting statistics for this species.
BIOMETRICS
Sample sizes are too small to report Biometrics for this species.
Feather measurements and photos on featherbase
CODES & CLASSIFICATION
|
Field Codes
|
2-letter: OR | 5-letter code: WHIST | Euring: 1340 |
For information in another language (where available) click on a linked name
Research
Interpretation and scientific publications about White Stork from BTO scientists.
PUBLICATIONS (2)
Are white storks addicted to junk food? Impacts of landfill use on the movement and behaviour of resident white storks (Ciconia ciconia) from a partially migratory population
Timing is critical: consequences of asynchronous migration for the performance and destination of a long-distance migrant
Timing is critical for a long-distance migrant
Links to more studies from ConservationEvidence.com
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