Wildlife Guide · Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australasia & Wetlands, floodplains, grassland and, increasingly, farmland and landfill

Stork

Family Ciconiidae — 19 species in 6 genera

Nineteen species of long-legged soaring birds — most of which have no voice at all.

Family page — status ranges from Least Concern to Endangered by species

White stork with red bill standing in wetland grass

Image: AI-generated educational wildlife portrait — World Animal Rescue Network · AI visualisation, not a photograph

In brief

Storks are large wading birds of the family Ciconiidae — 19 species — that soar on thermals rather than flapping, and most of which are effectively voiceless, communicating by clattering their bills.

By the WARN Research & Conservation TeamChecked against IUCN Red List & CITES sourcesLast updated July 2026

Storks are large, long-legged, long-billed wading birds in the family Ciconiidae, with 19 species worldwide. They are built for soaring: broad wings and a habit of riding thermals let migratory species cross continents on very little muscular effort, which is why their routes bend around large water crossings where thermals do not form. Most storks have almost no voice. Their syrinx is reduced, so instead of calling they communicate by clattering their bills — a loud, rattling display used in greeting at the nest and in territorial disputes. The white stork's long association with human buildings has made it one of the most culturally embedded wild birds in Europe.

Stork species worldwide

~3.2 m

Wingspan of the marabou stork — among the largest of any land bird

Voiceless

Most species; they clatter bills instead of calling

Thermals

Migration relies on soaring, not sustained flapping

Figures sourced from IUCN Red List — Ciconiidae, GBIF — Ciconiidae .

Stork: Quick Facts

Vital statistics and key facts about the Stork
Species	19
Largest wingspan	Marabou stork, up to ~3.2 m
Voice	Reduced syrinx — bill-clattering replaces calls
Flight	Thermal soaring; avoids long sea crossings
Nest	Large, reused and enlarged over many years
Key threat	Wetland drainage and floodplain loss

Scientific Classification

Scientific classification of the Stork
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Aves
Order	Ciconiiformes
Family	Ciconiidae
Genera	Ciconia, Mycteria, Leptoptilos, Anastomus, Ephippiorhynchus, Jabiru

Conservation Status

IUCN Status: Varies by species — family page
Population: Not applicable at family level
Trend: Mixed — white stork recovering in Europe; several Asian species declining
Assessed: Assessed species-by-species
CITES: Some species listed; varies

Wetland drainage is the shared pressure across the family. Landfill feeding has changed migration behaviour in some European populations, tying them to waste policy.

Did you know?

Some Iberian white storks no longer migrate to Africa at all — landfill sites give them enough year-round food to stay put.

Key Facts: Stork

Most storks are effectively voiceless and communicate by loud bill-clattering.
They migrate by soaring on thermals, so routes avoid long sea crossings.
The marabou stork has one of the largest wingspans of any land bird.
White storks nest on buildings and reuse the same nest for decades.
Some species have adapted to landfill sites, which changes migration behaviour.
Wetland drainage is the main pressure across the family; several Asian species are threatened.

Soaring, not flapping

A stork's broad wings and light wing-loading make it an efficient soarer. Migrating birds climb in a rising thermal, glide down across country, find the next thermal and repeat — covering enormous distances for a fraction of the energy that continuous flapping would demand. Thermals form over land, not open sea, so migratory storks funnel through narrow land bridges such as the Bosphorus and Gibraltar rather than crossing the Mediterranean directly. Those bottlenecks concentrate huge numbers of birds and make them both spectacular to watch and vulnerable to anything that goes wrong along a very narrow corridor.

Bill-clattering instead of song

The stork syrinx is reduced, so adults of most species produce little more than hisses. In place of calls they throw the head back and clap the mandibles together rapidly, producing a hollow rattle that carries well. Clattering serves as greeting between pair members at the nest, as a territorial signal, and as part of courtship. Chicks can produce mewing calls, but lose most vocal ability as they mature.

Living on human landscapes

White storks have nested on roofs, chimneys and church towers for centuries, and in much of Europe are treated as welcome tenants. Nests are reused and enlarged over decades and can reach enormous size and weight. More recently, some populations have shifted onto landfill sites, where year-round food is reliable. In parts of Iberia this has produced birds that no longer migrate to Africa at all. That is a striking adaptation, and a fragile one: it ties the birds to waste-management policy, and landfill closures have already forced local behavioural change.

Status across the family

Family-level generalisation is unhelpful because status varies enormously. The white stork is Least Concern and recovering in parts of its range after reintroductions and nest-platform schemes. Several Asian species — including the greater adjutant and storm's stork — are far more threatened, hit by wetland drainage, deforestation and hunting. The common thread is wetland loss. Storks need shallow water and floodplain grassland to feed, and those are precisely the habitats drained first for agriculture and development.

What WARN Does

WARN publishes free, sourced species education across the whole of animal life. Storks are a useful lens on wetland loss: they are large, visible and culturally valued, so where they disappear, the drainage of a floodplain becomes something people actually notice.

If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.

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Stork: Frequently Asked Questions

Can storks make sounds?

Barely. Most stork species have a reduced syrinx and are effectively voiceless as adults, producing little beyond hisses. They communicate by clattering their bills together loudly, used in greeting, courtship and territorial display.

How many species of stork are there?

Nineteen species in six genera, in the family Ciconiidae, found across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australasia.

Why do storks migrate over land rather than sea?

They travel by soaring on thermals, which form over land and not over open water. Migratory storks therefore funnel through narrow land routes such as the Bosphorus and the Strait of Gibraltar instead of crossing the Mediterranean directly.

Do storks really deliver babies?

No — it is a European folk tradition, probably rooted in white storks returning to nest on buildings each spring around the same time as a seasonal peak in births. The birds themselves have no such role.

Where do storks live?

Storks live in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australasia, Wetlands, floodplains, grassland and, increasingly, farmland and landfill. Storks are large wading birds of the family Ciconiidae — 19 species — that soar on thermals rather than flapping, and most of which are effectively voiceless, communicating by clattering their bills.

Are storks dangerous?

Storks are not generally dangerous to people. Storks are large wading birds of the family Ciconiidae — 19 species — that soar on thermals rather than flapping, and most of which are effectively voiceless, communicating by clattering their bills. Give wild individuals space and do not corner or handle them.

How long do storks live?

A precise wild lifespan for storks is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. Storks are large wading birds of the family Ciconiidae — 19 species — that soar on thermals rather than flapping, and most of which are effectively voiceless, communicating by clattering their bills. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.

Sources & References

Population figures, conservation status and biological facts on this page are drawn from authoritative scientific and intergovernmental sources.

Terms used on this page

Plain-English definitions, from our wildlife and conservation glossary.

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