White stork
Ciconia ciconia
If you see a huge pile of twigs on top of a chimney in a village, it's probably a stork nest.
| Size | 100–115 cm |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 155–215 cm |
| Weight | 2.3–4.4 kg |
| Diet | Frogs, insects, worms, small mammals |
| Eggs | 3–5 |
| Where to see it | In Türkiye from March to August, in Africa in winter |
It's hard to mix up a white stork. White body, black wing tips, red beak and legs. In flight it stretches its neck and legs out straight, and from far away it looks like a plus sign.
Storks are migratory. At the end of August, tens of thousands of them gather and head to Africa, and their route goes over the Bosphorus. They don't like flapping much. They rise on warm air and glide for kilometers. There are no thermals over the sea, so they choose the narrow straits.
They have almost no voice. Instead they clatter their beaks. When its mate comes back to the nest, a stork throws its head back and clatters for a long time. Once you hear it, you don't forget it.
They use the same nest for years and make it a bit bigger every year. Some nests are wider than a meter and weigh hundreds of kilos. We don't know what the chimney's owner thinks.
To draw it in DrawBird
Draw a long body and long wings like in the gull lesson. White body, black wing tips. Make the beak long and red, and stretch the neck. Draw the legs red too, reaching out behind the body.
Drawing lesson: How to draw a gull →
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