Species guide
White Stork: how to recognise it
A bird of Europe, Africa and Asia. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © xulescu_g · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Ciconia ciconia
- Family
- Storks
- Size
- About 100–115 cm
- Habitat
- Wet meadows, farmland and villages
- Found in
- Europe, Africa and Asia
The key marks
A large white stork with black flight feathers, long red legs and a long red bill.
Voice
Mostly silent; adults clatter their bills.
Good to know
It often nests on rooftops and chimneys, and many winter in Africa.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in wet meadows, farmland and villages. It is especially common in Morocco, Spain, Poland and Türkiye. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.