The message about the black stork is brief. Black stork bird

Black stork (lat. Ciconia nigra) does not really like the company of people, so he prefers to settle in old and dense forests. It nests in Europe and Asia, where it is found from Spain to China. In Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan, this species is listed in the Red Book and is protected. It winters in Africa and India.

In Russia, black storks have occupied a vast territory from the Baltic Sea to the Far East. These wonderful birds can also be seen in the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin Island, in the forests of Chechnya, Stavropol Territory and Dagestan, but most nests are found in the Primorye region.

Interestingly, the residents of Belarus, where there is the Zvanets swamp massif, located in the west of Polesie, can boast of the largest population of black storks. It is here that these rare and shy birds feel excellent and take great pleasure in raising their chicks.

During the winter, black storks go to warmer climes. Only in southern Africa do they lead a sedentary lifestyle. In general, these are rather secretive representatives of the stork family who do not like to be disturbed. However, today thanks modern technology bird lovers now have the opportunity to watch them without disturbing their privacy. Thus, in Estonia, 24-hour webcams were installed above some nests.

Black storks feed on fish and some aquatic animals. They search for prey in shallow waters, water meadows, and also near bodies of water. During wintering they do not refuse large insects, small rodents, lizards, snakes and mollusks.

During flight, black storks stretch their necks forward and throw their long legs back. Like their relatives the white storks, they can for a long time soar in the air, spreading your wings and relaxing.

Reproduction begins no earlier than reaching the age of three years. As you know, they form pairs for life. Moreover, with the same nest, i.e. the house can be used by several generations of birds. At the same time, they make a nest in the thickets of the forest, placing it in the crowns of trees at a height of 10 to 20 meters. As building material They use thick branches and tree limbs, which are carefully held together with earth, clay and turf.

The male is the first to return home, carries out the necessary repairs, and then begins to invite the female to the nest. To do this, he straightens his white undertail and emits a hoarse whistle.

As a rule, one pair of black storks raises from four to seven chicks. Both parents incubate the clutch. It is curious that the birds sit in the nest immediately after the first egg appears there, so the chicks are born in turns. For ten days the babies can only lie helplessly, then they try to sit up. Parents diligently feed them at least 4-5 times a day, regurgitating food directly into their open beaks.

For the legs of black stork babies to become sufficiently strong, it takes 35 to 40 days - only at this age do the chicks make their first attempt to stand up. In total, they stay in the nest for at least 55-65 days.

It's funny that white and black storks “speak” different languages, which is why they cannot understand each other. For example, in one of the zoos they made an attempt to “marry” a male black stork and a female white one. Despite all the gentleman’s attempts to win the lady’s favor, she did not reciprocate his feelings - their marriage rituals were too different.

Not all people are lucky enough to see a representative of the storks in their lives. black stork bird. The thing is that these birds really don’t like human company, so they stay as far away from him as possible.

Description and features of the black stork

This one differs from all other brothers in the original color of its feathers. The upper part of his body is covered with black feathers with green and red tints. The lower part is white. The bird is quite large and impressive in size.

Its height reaches up to 110 cm and weighs 3 kg. The wingspan of the bird is about 150-155 cm. The slender one has long legs, a neck and a beak. The legs and beak are red. The chest is crowned with thick and shaggy feathers, somewhat reminiscent of a fur collar.

The eyes are decorated with red outlines. It is impossible to distinguish a female from a male; there are no signs of their difference in appearance. Only males are larger. But the young one black stork can be distinguished from a mature one by the outline around the eyes.

In young ones it is gray-green. How older bird becomes, the more these outlines acquire red hues. The same thing happens with plumage. In young people it is somewhat faded. With age, the plumage becomes more glossy and variegated.

Currently, there are very small numbers of storks. The entire vast territory of their migration numbers no more than 5,000 pairs of these birds. The black stork is considered one of the most endangered of all storks.

Why this happens is still unclear, because this bird has practically no enemies in nature. Its impressive size scares away small predators, and it is able to escape from large ones.

These birds show an interesting manifestation of caring for their babies during too hot periods of time. When it is unbearably hot outside, and therefore in the nest, they spray the newly born chicks and the entire nest with water. Thus, they manage to reduce the temperature.

By description of a black stork you can determine all the charm and beauty of this bird. Those who are lucky enough to real life to see this miracle of nature, they remember this moment with emotion for a long time. Gracefulness and simultaneous simplicity in a seemingly incredible combination are visible and photo of a black stork.

From observations it became known that white and black storks different languages, so they absolutely do not understand each other. In one zoo they tried to pair up a male black stork and a female white one. Nothing came of it. Just as in these species it is completely different methods courtship during the mating season, and different languages ​​became a big obstacle to this.

Habitat and lifestyle of the black stork

The entire territory of Eurasia is the habitat of this bird. The black stork lives in certain areas, depending on the time of year. It has been noted that during the breeding season these birds are observed closer to northern latitudes. In winter, they fly to the countries of Asia and Central.

It also attracts the attention of these wonderful birds. They can be seen both in the territory adjacent to the Baltic Sea and in the Far East. Primorye is considered their most favorite place.

Most black storks are found in Belarus. These birds prefer to live in forest areas, with rivers and streams, away from human settlements. Just such places in Belarus.

Shy black storks not only live comfortably there, but also raise their offspring. To spend the winter they have to go to warm countries. Those birds that live permanently on the African continent do not need to fly. Secrecy and caution are inherent in black storks from the very beginning.

They don't like to be disturbed. Fortunately, in modern world There are many different devices thanks to which you can watch birds and animals without scaring them away or attracting their attention. In Estonia, for example, in order to better study the lifestyle of black storks, webcams were installed in some places.

It is interesting to watch a bird in flight. Her neck is strongly stretched forward, and her long legs are thrown back at this time. Like white storks, black storks often simply float in the air with their wings spread out and in a relaxed manner. Their flight is accompanied by original cries that reach us like “chi-li.”

During their migration they can cover enormous distances, up to 500 km. To cross the seas, they choose their narrowest territories. They do not like to fly over the surface of the sea for a long time.

For this reason, sailors rarely see black storks soaring over the sea. In order to cross the Sahara they stay closer to the coast.

The last ten days of August are characterized by the beginning of the migration of black storks in a southerly direction. In mid-March, the birds return to their native places. Due to the secretive nature of these birds, little is known about their lifestyle.

Black storks prefer to feed on live food. They use small fish that live near the water, sometimes even reptiles. In rare cases, they may feed on aquatic plants. In order to find food, this bird sometimes travels up to 10 km. Then they return to the nest again.

Types of storks

There are 18 species of storks in nature. They can be found anywhere. The following representatives are considered the most common and popular:

• White stork. It can reach a height of up to 1m. The bird has white and black plumage. Against this background, the legs and beak of a feathered red color stand out clearly. The fingers of the limbs are connected by membranes. There are no significant differences between the female and the male. Only females are slightly smaller in size. Birds completely lack vocal cords. You never hear any sounds from them at all.

In the photo there is a white stork

• Far Eastern stork In appearance it is no different from the white one, only the Far Eastern one is somewhat larger and its beak is black. There are fewer and fewer of these birds in nature; there are no more than 1000 individuals.

Far Eastern stork

• Black stork, as already mentioned, it has black plumage on the upper part of the body and white below. Its limbs and beak are bright red. Due to the presence of vocal cords, the stork makes interesting sounds.

In the photo there is a black stork

• Beaked Stork considered one of the most large birds of this kind. The area around the bird's eyes is without fluff; it is red. The beak is noticeably curved downwards and is orange in color. In black and white plumage, pink tints on the body are clearly visible.

In the photo there is a beaked stork

• Marabou has absolutely no feathering on its head. In addition, the stork can be distinguished by its large beak.

Marabou stork

• Open stork. His black and white color feathers shimmer with green colors. The bird's beak is large, gray-green.

Stork gaping

Reproduction and lifespan of the black stork

About the black stork we can say that this is a monogamous bird. They carry loyalty to their couple throughout their lives. The creation of a pair occurs mainly in the month of March. These birds choose mountain ranges for nesting.

Black stork nest located on the branches of a tall tree or in an area of ​​inaccessible cliffs. These birds construct their home from branches and twigs of varying lengths.

They are connected to each other using turf and clay. A bird can use one nest throughout its life, only periodically updating its condition. For this purpose, new branches and turf are used, which is why over time the nest acquires big sizes.

These birds do not like proximity not only to people, but also to each other. Their nests can be found 6 km from each other. Black storks become sexually mature at the age of three.

The male is usually the first to arrive from warm regions. He improves his home while waiting for his soul mate. To attract a female, the male has to spread his undertail plumage and emit a hoarse whistle.

A pair's nest generally contains 4 to 7 eggs. Both caring parents hatch them. They begin hatching as soon as the first egg appears, so the chicks appear one after another.

For ten days the babies just lie helplessly. After this, they make small attempts to sit up. For their good development, parents have to feed the chicks about 5 times.

The chicks' legs become stronger after 40 days. Only after this time do they begin to slowly get up. Storks take care of their offspring for two months. These beautiful birds live up to 31 years in captivity and up to 20 years in the wild.

The black stork is a representative of monotypes that does not form subspecies. This type classified as a rare breeding migratory and transit migrant. Prefers to build nests in quiet corners of the world.

Appearance

External characteristics are almost completely similar to appearance ordinary storks. Except for the black plumage. The black tint predominates on the back, wings, tail, head, and chest. The ventral part and undertail are painted in white shades. At the same time, in adult individuals, the plumage acquires a greenish, reddish and metallic tint.

A spot without feathers of a bright red color forms around the eyes. The beak and legs are also bright red. The head, neck and chest of juveniles take on brown tints with pale buffy tips on the feathers. As a rule, adults reach 80-110 cm. Females weigh from 2.7 to 3 kg, males - from 2.8 to 3.2 kg. The width of the wingspan can reach 1.85 - 2.1 meters.

Shows a high pitched voice. Makes sounds similar to "chi-li". Rarely can crack its beak, like its white counterpart. However, in black storks this sound is somewhat quieter. In flight it makes a loud cry. Maintains a quiet tone in the nest. During the mating season it produces a sound similar to a loud hissing. The chicks have a rough and extremely unpleasant voice.

Habitat

The black stork is extremely careful. Birds inhabit remote forests where people do not meet. It feeds on the banks near small forest rivers and canals, and on ponds. Tries to stay close to nesting sites.

Lives in forest parts of Eurasia. In Russia it can be found in, near rivers and in areas where there are many forests. It can often be seen near the Baltic Sea and in Southern Siberia. Also on Sakhalin Island.

Black stork nest

A separate population is distributed throughout the southern part of the Russian Federation, in the forest areas of Chechnya. Found in the forests of Dagestan and Stavropol. The overwhelming number of individuals build nests near Primorye. Spends the winter in southern Asia.

South Africa is home to a species of black stork that does not migrate. The largest number of individuals is found in the Zvanets swamp complex, which is part of the possessions of Belarus.

Arrives in late May - early April. The favorite areas of black storks are alder forests, oak forests, etc. Sometimes it nests among old pine plantations. It also does not neglect swampy areas and clearings.

Nutrition

The black stork prefers to feed on water inhabitants: small vertebrates, invertebrate animals and fish. Doesn't hunt at depth. It feeds on water meadows and ponds. IN winter time Can feast on rodents and insects. Sometimes it catches snakes, lizards and mollusks.

1. People wanted to crossbreed black and white storks and put them in a zoo. There were precedents when a male black stork showed signs of attention to white females. But the attempt to breed a hybrid species was unsuccessful.
2. The black stork is considered an endangered species due to its "secrecy". Therefore, there were CIS countries and regions of Russia.
3. In the nest, the black stork sleeps, inspects the territory, cleans its feathers, and eats. It also serves as a “sound alarm” when an enemy approaches and trains its wings.
4. In Poozerie, a trend towards an increase in the population of black storks was recorded. This is believed to be related to. Because of this, birds nest only in the most remote corners of the region.
5. The black stork differs from the white stork in its choice of nesting site; the black stork has never built a nest near people. But in recent years, individuals have appeared on the territory of Belarus, nesting near settlements and agricultural lands.

Storks are majestic, proud birds that live for a long time next to people. The stork family has 18 species and is divided into 9 genera; they live in all corners of the Earth, except deserts. We will talk about a black and white stork.

Description

The black and white stork is listed in the Red Book. Body length is 105-110 cm, wingspan is 215-220 cm, weight is up to 3.5 kg. The length of the tail is moderate, the end is slightly rounded. The black and white stork is covered with black feathers with a violet-green, reddish or metallic tint, and has a white chest and belly. From the outside it looks like a tailcoat worn over a white shirt. The legs and places not covered with feathers are red. The beak is long, 2 times longer than the head, with a sharp end. It has a dark color, only in chicks and adults during mating season it acquires a red color.

Environment and habitat

Storks live almost all over the world, in every corner of the Earth, with the exception of deserts. In Russia, black and white storks live in all regions, most often settling in Primorye, the Far East, in the regions of Kaliningrad and Ciscaucasia. There are many swampy forests on the territory of Belarus, ideal for housing in all respects; there are especially many storks there. The government even decided to protect the territory most densely populated by storks. These birds are also found in large quantities in China, Poland, Italian states, East and West Germany.

The black stork is quite shy and very careful, prefers to settle as far as possible from people and animals, choosing remote forest corners, closer to swamps, lakes and ponds. Nests are made on the tops of trees at a height of 10-15 meters; branches are used as building material, which are laid in the right way; clay and turf are used for fastening. The diameter of such dwellings can be up to one and a half meters, and the weight can reach half a ton. They live in them for many years, often the nests are inherited by children, who also live in them every year, having offspring.

Wintering
Black storks are migratory birds, especially those who have chosen to live moderately warm zones, fly away to warmer regions for the winter. They set off at the end of August - beginning of September, staying close to the water all the way. For wintering they choose the African continent or India. Although black storks lead an isolated lifestyle, avoiding other birds, they often go on long journeys together with storks of other species. Wide wings make 2-3 beats per second. This allows you to move at considerable speeds - up to 40 kilometers per hour. For gliding, they use rising currents - this allows them to stay in the air for a long time without getting tired and give their wings a rest. Such devices help to cover up to 200 kilometers per day.

The birds reach their wintering grounds by the beginning of December and evenly populate the entire territory, where they live until the beginning of spring, when it is time to go home. Returning, the storks fly to their nests, put things in order, and repair them. Birds have a strong attachment to their home.

Enemies

The black stork has no enemies in nature. The only ones that can sometimes attack are eagles. Sometimes - crocodiles. But this rarely happens. The main enemy is man. Thus, in Italy at the end of the 17th century, storks were completely exterminated.

Nutrition

Storks prefer food of animal origin, although they are not particularly picky about food. They feed mainly on fish and animals living in the water. But during flights and when water bodies dry up in extreme heat, when there are few fish and amphibians, you have to eat other foods. For example:

1. Small mammals - mice, rats, stoats, rodents.
2. Amphibians - frogs, various types of lizards, toads.
3. Insects - locusts, grasshoppers, mole crickets, chafers. The larvae of these pests that come across are also eaten.
4. Chicks wild birds, in villages and villages they also catch domestic animals - chickens, ducklings.

Deforestation, as well as drainage of meadows and swamps, causes considerable harm to storks, because the food supply is destroyed.

Some interesting things about black storks

1. In China, since ancient times it was believed that the stork signifies a happy, carefree old age.
2. Many peoples in Europe consider the stork a symbol of caring for elderly parents, because adult birds do not allow their elderly relatives, who are unable to obtain food, to go hungry by feeding them.
3. The legend that where the stork lives there will always be a good harvest is widespread. Therefore, storks are very revered in villages and villages; residents attach wheels from old carts to the roofs so that the stork will build a nest in them. If the feathered tenant suddenly flew away from this place, then they believed this to be a punishment for a sinful life, and waited for various misfortunes, troubles and misfortunes to fall on the residents of this house.
4. If the couple flies back and begins to live in the nest again, then a child will appear in the family occupying the house. It is quite possible that the sign that the stork brings children came from this belief.
5. Storks live in the wild for a little over twenty years, but in captivity – somewhat longer. There have been cases where storks lived up to 31 years.
6. Sometimes storks carry out a kind of cleansing in their ranks, getting rid of weak and sick relatives - they kill them. Most often this is done before flights. Maybe there is a reason for such cruelty: weak individuals will not be able to fly to the right place, and at the same time they will be a brake on the flock, delaying it.
7. In addition to beauty and grace, these birds are distinguished by the assistance they provide to humans in agriculture— they, in search of food, destroy plant pests.
8. Black storks are good indicators of ecology. Having seen that a bird of this species is feeding on a pond, you can be sure that the water is clean from pollution and chemicals.
9. The female lays three to five eggs. Both parents take part in incubating the clutch; incubation of the eggs lasts from 32 to 38 days. If it gets hot in the nest, the birds begin to spray the eggs with water to cool them down. Both parents also take part in feeding - they regurgitate food, and the chicks pick it up from the bottom. At two months, babies begin to learn to fly, and when they reach the age three months, begin an independent life.
10. The structure of the vocal apparatus of storks is such that they are not able to pronounce sounds, they can only squeak quietly. Therefore, they communicate with each other by hissing and clicking their beaks.
11. The language of white and black storks is different, so they cannot understand each other, although they are representatives of the same species. Italian scientists attempted to cross these two subspecies, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
12. If the male is free, then the first female who arrives to the call becomes his wife.
13. Belarusians have made the stork one of the symbols of their country. One of the tales of local folklore tells about the appearance of these birds. God handed the man a large bag full of snakes and ordered him to throw it far into the sea. But the man was overcome by curiosity, he untied the bag and began to look into it. The snakes got free and spread to all corners of the earth. God punished the man by turning him into a stork. Now the unfortunate man wanders from swamp to swamp, exterminating snakes and, until he catches the last one, he will not be able to become a human again.

Video: black stork (Ciconia nigra)

Scientists from the Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve managed to reliably establish the permanent presence of the black stork this year and the beginning of its nesting.

The black stork appeared in a specially protected natural area back in May, but it was not possible to reliably establish the nature of its presence here. And finally the search was crowned with success. Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences Rimma Seifulina managed to photograph a pair of black storks busy building a nest in the central part of the reserve. Research on the black stork in the reserve is carried out by Yuri Buivolov, Deputy Director for Research, ornithologist, Candidate of Biological Sciences.

The lifestyle of the black stork has been poorly studied. In the Moscow region over the past 20 years, the fact of its nesting has not been established, although the birds have been recorded in the Serpukhov and Taldom regions. Perhaps the researchers are dealing with a young couple that only appeared in the reserve in May in search of a nesting site and only in June began building a nest. It is necessary to ensure a zone of absolute peace throughout the central part of the reserve, beyond the boundaries of the excursion routes. The black stork is an extremely secretive bird and avoids contact with humans as much as possible. Only observing the reserved peace gives a chance that storks will nest here for a long time. Usually, the stork uses the same nest for more than 10 years in a row, repairing and renewing it every year.

Text: deputy Director for Research, Ph.D. Yu.A.Buivolov

For reference

Black stork(lat. Ciconia nigra) - a bird from the Stork family. Listed in the Red Book of Russia, in category 3 - as a rare species.

International security: Included in the Red Books of Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan. Listed in Appendix 2 of CITES, Appendix 2 of the Bonn Convention, Appendix 2 of the Berne Convention, Annexes of bilateral agreements concluded by Russia with Japan, India, the Republic of Korea and the DPRK on the protection of migratory birds.

Number

According to rough estimates, the total number of birds in Russia is less than 3 thousand pairs. The number is stable at a low level; in some districts its decline has been noted. Three regions with increased abundance of the species have been registered on the territory of Russia: the Kaliningrad region, where up to 80 pairs live, the Ciscaucasia - 40-50 pairs, and Primorye - up to 150 pairs. In the rest of the territory, nesting is sporadic.

Limiting factors and protective measures

The reduction in nesting areas is associated with the cutting down of mature and overmature forests, especially in the European part of the country.

In a number of places in Russia, the presence of a black stork at nesting grounds is one of important factors conservation of a territory or declaring it a nature reserve or natural monument.

Forestry management authorities need to develop standards for the use of overmature forests within the habitat of the species in order to regulate human visits to these places and reduce disturbance of birds during the nesting period (April-July). Active explanatory work with schoolchildren, hunters, tourists, other lovers and users of nature is necessary.

Habitat

Lives in the forest zone of Eurasia, trying to avoid people. In Russia, the black stork inhabits the territory from the Baltic Sea through the Urals along the 60-61 parallel and all of Southern Siberia to the Far East. Not found on the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin Island and the Kamchatka Peninsula. A separate population lives in the south of Russia, in the forests of Chechnya, Dagestan, and Stavropol Territory. Largest quantity birds in Russia nest in the Primorye region. Black storks winter in Africa, sub-Saharan Africa (however, relatively few birds cross the equator), as well as in the Ganges basin and southeast China. A sedentary population of black storks lives in South Africa.

View and lifestyle

The black stork is slightly smaller than the white one: its wing length is on average 54 cm, weight is about 3 kg. The plumage of this bird is predominantly black with a greenish and copper-red metallic tint, the ventral side of the body is white. The beak, legs, throat, unfeathered patch on the bridle and near the eyes are bright red. Body length up to 1 m, tail 22-25 cm, weight up to 3.2 kg.

The black stork is a forest bird. Required condition for its nesting is a combination of old forests or at least groups of old trees with hard-to-reach swamps of various types, open banks of rivers and lakes. In most of its range, the black stork nests in sparsely populated areas that are difficult for humans to access. And since there are fewer and fewer such places, and forests are constantly being renewed, the number of birds continues to decline even in nature reserves.

The black stork is a monogamous bird; it begins to reproduce from three years. It nests once a year at a height of 10-20 m in the crown of old, tall trees or on rock ledges in places far from human habitation, in forest thickets. The nest is built from thick branches and tree branches, fastened together with turf, earth and clay. Like white storks, black storks have the same nest that can serve several generations of birds for many years.

The male invites the female to the nest by fluffing his white undertail and emitting a hoarse whistle. The clutch, which is incubated by both parents, contains from 4 to 7 eggs. Incubation lasts about 30 days. Since incubation begins with the first egg laid, the chicks do not appear at the same time. The hatched chicks are white or grayish in color with an orange beak at the base. The tip of the beak is greenish-yellow. For about 10 days, the black stork chicks just lie in the nest, then they begin to sit down. At the age of 35-40 days they stand on their feet. In total, the chicks sit in the nest for 55-65 days. Parents feed the chicks about 4-5 times a day, regurgitating food.