Oriental stork
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Ciconia boyciana

The Oriental stork (Ciconia boyciana, Kounotori) is a large, white bird with black wing feathers in the stork family Ciconiidae.

Appearance

It is typically larger than the white stork, at 100–129 cm (39.5–51 in) long, 110–150 cm (43–59 in) tall, a weight of 2.8–5.9 kg (6.2–13.0 lb) and a wingspan of 2.22 m (7.3 ft). Unlike its more widespread cousin, the Oriental stork has red skin around its eye, with a whitish iris and black bill. Both sexes are similar. The female is slightly smaller than male. The young are white with orange bills.

Distribution

Geography

The Oriental stork is found in Japan, Manchuria, Korea and Siberia. It was once extirpated from Japan and the Korean Peninsula. However, in May 2007 a hatchling was reported in Japan for the first time in 40 years in the wild. It was an offspring of two storks who were bred in captivity.

Oriental stork habitat map
Oriental stork habitat map
Oriental stork
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Habits and Lifestyle

Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

The Oriental stork is a solitary bird except during the breeding season. It likes to wade in marshes, pond's edges, coastal beaches, and other wetlands. These birds are apex predator in their habitat. Its diet consists mainly of fish, frog, insects, small birds and reptiles, as well as rodents.

Mating Habits

The female usually lays between two and six eggs. After breeding, the storks migrate to eastern China in September and return in March.

Population

Conservation

Due to habitat loss and overhunting, the Oriental stork is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES.There have been efforts to reintroduce the storks to the wild, but there must be changes to the environment first. The storks were harshly impacted by the growth of the rice industry and the subsequent use of pesticides. There is a push for rice farmers to grow their plants organically so that the storks may breed and grow safely in their environments.

References

1. Oriental stork Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_stork
2. Oriental stork on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22697695/131942061

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