Ciconia
Encyclopedia
Ciconia is a genus
of birds in the stork
family. Six of the seven living species occur in the Old World
, but the Maguari Stork
has a South American range. In addition, fossil
s suggest that Ciconia storks were somewhat more common in the tropical Americas in prehistoric times.
These are large storks, typically 100 cm tall, with a 180 cm wingspan and a long thick bill. Members of this genus are more variable in plumage than other storks, but several species have black upper bodies and wings, and white belly and undertail. Juveniles are a duller, browner version of the adult.
Ciconia storks are gregarious and colonial breeders, and pairs stay together for life. They typically build large stick nests in trees, although the Maguari Stork will nest on the ground and at least three species will construct their nests on human habitations. One of these, the White Stork
, is probably the best known of all storks, with a wealth of legend and folklore associated with this familiar visitor
to Europe.
These storks feed on frog
s, insect
s, young birds, lizard
s and rodent
s. They fly with the neck outstretched, like most other storks, but unlike heron
s which retract their neck in flight.
The migratory species like the White Stork and the Black Stork
soar on broad wings and rely on thermals of hot air for sustained long distance flight. Since thermals only form over land, these storks, like large raptor
s, must cross the Mediterranean at the narrowest points, and many of these birds can be seen going through the Straits of Gibraltar and the Bosphorus on migration.
The fossil record of the genus is extensive, indicating that Ciconia storks were once more widespread than they are today. Although the known material tends to suggest that the genus evolved around the Atlantic, possibly in western Europe or Africa, the comparative lack of fossil sites in Asia makes this assumption not well-founded presently. All that can be said is that by the Early Pliocene
, Ciconia was widespread at least all over the Northern Hemisphere
.
Fossil members of the genus include:
A distal radius
in Late Pleistocene
deposits of San Josecito Cavern (Mexico) may belong in this genus or in Mycteria
; it is smaller than that of any known American stork, Ciconia or otherwise. The proposed fossil genus Prociconia from Brazil
, also of Late Pleistocene age, may be a junior synonym of either this genus or Jabiru
. A Ciconia bone found in a rock shelter
on Réunion
was probably of a bird taken there as food by early settlers; no known account mentions the presence of storks on the Mascarenes.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of birds in the stork
Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
family. Six of the seven living species occur in the Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
, but the Maguari Stork
Maguari Stork
The Maguari Stork is a species of stork in the Ciconiidae family.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. It is a vagrant to Chile, Trinidad, the Falkland Islands and probably Peru...
has a South American range. In addition, fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s suggest that Ciconia storks were somewhat more common in the tropical Americas in prehistoric times.
These are large storks, typically 100 cm tall, with a 180 cm wingspan and a long thick bill. Members of this genus are more variable in plumage than other storks, but several species have black upper bodies and wings, and white belly and undertail. Juveniles are a duller, browner version of the adult.
Ciconia storks are gregarious and colonial breeders, and pairs stay together for life. They typically build large stick nests in trees, although the Maguari Stork will nest on the ground and at least three species will construct their nests on human habitations. One of these, the White Stork
White Stork
The White Stork is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on its wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to end of tail, with a wingspan...
, is probably the best known of all storks, with a wealth of legend and folklore associated with this familiar visitor
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
to Europe.
These storks feed on frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s, insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, young birds, lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
s and rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s. They fly with the neck outstretched, like most other storks, but unlike heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s which retract their neck in flight.
The migratory species like the White Stork and the Black Stork
Black Stork
The Black Stork Ciconia nigra is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is a widespread, but rare, species that breeds in the warmer parts of Europe, predominantly in central and eastern regions. This is a shy and wary species, unlike the closely related White Stork. It is seen in...
soar on broad wings and rely on thermals of hot air for sustained long distance flight. Since thermals only form over land, these storks, like large raptor
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
s, must cross the Mediterranean at the narrowest points, and many of these birds can be seen going through the Straits of Gibraltar and the Bosphorus on migration.
Species
- Abdim's StorkAbdim's StorkThe Abdim's Stork, also known as White-bellied Stork, is a black stork with grey legs, red knees and feet, grey bill and white underparts. It has red facial skin in front of eye and blue skin near the bill in breeding season...
, Ciconia abdimii - Woolly-necked StorkWoolly-necked StorkThe Woolly-necked Stork or White necked stork , Ciconia episcopus, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It can also be known as the Espiscopos....
, Ciconia episcopus - Storm's StorkStorm's StorkThe Storm's Stork, Ciconia stormi is a large, approximately long, stork with black and white plumages, red bill, orange bare facial skin, red legs and yellow orbital skin. Both sexes are similar. The young has duller plumage and bare skin....
, Ciconia stormi - Maguari StorkMaguari StorkThe Maguari Stork is a species of stork in the Ciconiidae family.It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. It is a vagrant to Chile, Trinidad, the Falkland Islands and probably Peru...
, Ciconia maguari - Oriental White Stork, Ciconia boyciana
- White StorkWhite StorkThe White Stork is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on its wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to end of tail, with a wingspan...
, Ciconia ciconia - Black StorkBlack StorkThe Black Stork Ciconia nigra is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is a widespread, but rare, species that breeds in the warmer parts of Europe, predominantly in central and eastern regions. This is a shy and wary species, unlike the closely related White Stork. It is seen in...
, Ciconia nigra
The fossil record of the genus is extensive, indicating that Ciconia storks were once more widespread than they are today. Although the known material tends to suggest that the genus evolved around the Atlantic, possibly in western Europe or Africa, the comparative lack of fossil sites in Asia makes this assumption not well-founded presently. All that can be said is that by the Early Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
, Ciconia was widespread at least all over the Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
.
Fossil members of the genus include:
- ?Ciconia minor (Early Miocene of Rusinga Island, Kenya)
- ?Ciconia sarmantica (Late Miocene of Credinţa, Romania)
- ?Ciconia gaudryi (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Pikermi, Greece)
- Ciconia sp. 1 (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA)
- Ciconia sp. 2 (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA)
- ?Ciconia kahli (Early Pliocene of South Africa)
- Mongolian Stork, Ciconia lucida (Middle Pliocene of Mongolia)
- Asphalt Stork, Ciconia maltha (Late Pliocene - Late Pleistocene of W and S USA, and Cuba)
- Ciconia stehlini (Late Pliocene - Early Pleistocene of Hungary) - may belong to extant species
- Australian Stork, Ciconia nana (Late Pleistocene of Australia) - formerly Xenorhynchus
- Ciconia sp. (Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene of Las Breas de San Felipe, Cuba)
A distal radius
Radius (bone)
The radius is one of the two large bones of the forearm, the other being the ulna. It extends from the lateral side of the elbow to the thumb side of the wrist and runs parallel to the ulna, which exceeds it in length and size. It is a long bone, prism-shaped and slightly curved longitudinally...
in Late Pleistocene
Late Pleistocene
The Late Pleistocene is a stage of the Pleistocene Epoch. The beginning of the stage is defined by the base of the Eemian interglacial phase before the final glacial episode of the Pleistocene 126,000 ± 5,000 years ago. The end of the stage is defined exactly at 10,000 Carbon-14 years BP...
deposits of San Josecito Cavern (Mexico) may belong in this genus or in Mycteria
Mycteria
Mycteria is a genus of large tropical storks with representatives in the Americas, east Africa and southern and southeastern Asia. Two species have "ibis" in their scientific or old common names, but they are not related to these birds and simply look more similar to an ibis than do other...
; it is smaller than that of any known American stork, Ciconia or otherwise. The proposed fossil genus Prociconia from Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, also of Late Pleistocene age, may be a junior synonym of either this genus or Jabiru
Jabiru
The Jabiru is a large stork found in the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes. It is most common in the Pantanal region of Brazil and the Eastern Chaco region of Paraguay. It is the only member of the genus Jabiru...
. A Ciconia bone found in a rock shelter
Rock shelter
A rock shelter is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff....
on Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
was probably of a bird taken there as food by early settlers; no known account mentions the presence of storks on the Mascarenes.
External links
- ARKive: images and movies of Ciconia boyciana
- Ciconia videos on Internet Bird Collection:
- Ecological education through live white storks' nest webcam observation