Stork

Stork, any individual of the family Ciconiidae, chiefly confined to the eastern hemisphere. These birds are heron-like in form, but of stouter build and with longer bills, and the claw of the middle toe is not serrated. Their favourite resort is in marshy land or near river-banks, and they feed on frogs; snakes, lizards, fish and fish-fry, small mammals, young birds, and insects. The True Storks belong to the type-genus Ciconia, of which there are six species widely distributed. The best known is the Common or White Stork (C. alba), fairly plentiful in some parts of Europe, especially in Holland and North Germany. It figures largely in tne folk-tales of these countries, and is the heraldic emblem of piety and gratitude. The total length is rather more than 40 inches. The body, head, and neck are white, the wings black, and the legs and bill red. In their northward migration in the spring storks range as far as Scandinavia, and sometimes visit Britain. The return journey to Africa is made in autnmn. The Black Stork (C. niger), with black plumage above and white below, has strayed to Britain.