Since the Middle Ages people of Central Europe have regarded the white storks as bringers of good luck to men. It is not known how such a legend arose but it has protected the storks. Perhaps it came about because the return of the storks meant that spring had come. In the 1700’s watchmen in European towns announced the first sight of storks in the spring with a trumpet call.
The white storks appear to like the company of men. Originally they nested in tall trees but have given this up in favour of nesting on rooftops of churches and houses. And, because they are supposed to bring good luck, people in Central Europe have welcomed them, going so far as to put up wheels and platforms so the storks can easily find a place to build their heavy, bulky nests.
Even in the United States, where the white storks exist only in zoos, the big birds are often pictured as a symbol of maternity, probably a carry-over from some obscure European tradition. Early in the spring the white storks which winter in Africa begin flocking in large groups. They circle high in the sky soaring on updrafts of warm air. Then, still in large groups, they take off for their ancestral nesting grounds in Europe, arriving in.April or May. Some flocks go through Spain; some go through the Near East and the Balkans, and a few go across the Mediterranean and through Italy.
The males usually arrive at the nesting sites first, followed soon after by the females. Storks are thought to mate for life, but, if a partner fails to show up within a reasonable time, the stork that arrived first will take a new mate. They often use the same nest for several years, adding new material to it each year. The male hunts for sticks; the female fits them into the nest. Adult white storks, like all other storks, are voiceless, so their courtship displays consist of circular flights and bill clacking. They also have a peculiar display in which they throw their heads backward onto their backs, which makes them look as if they had broken necks. This particular display continues throughout their nesting period.
Eventually the female lays three to five white eggs which both parents take turns incubating for a month. When the babies finally hatch they are fed with insects, frogs, mice, and other small animals which the parents have picked up in lakes, marshes and fields near the nesting site.
The young storks remain in the nest for about two months. Then they are able to fly and can join their mother and father in hunting for food. In the fall when the flocks begin to migrate south, the parents usually leave before the young. The young birds apparently know instinctively where and by what route to fly south for the winter. They return to a place near where they were hatched when they are ready to nest.
White storks are large handsome white birds with black wing tips. They may stand as high as four feet. They have red feet and long straight red bills. At one time they were found in Asia as far east as China and Japan, but their numbers are decreasing. Only in Central Europe are they still a relatively common bird.
White Storks Pictures
