Black Stork - Ciconia nigra

Description

Adult is black with metallic purple and green gloss, except for white lower breast, belly, axillaries, and under tail-coverts. Black feathers of lower throat and foreneck elongated to form shaggy chest. Bill, bare loral area, and legs are dull red to bright scarlet; eyes brown. Juvenile similar to adult, but head, neck, and upper breast rather browner with rest of upperparts much less glossy, and pale tips to scapulars and wing and upper tail-coverts. Bill, bare loral area, and legs grey-green.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Lakes, marshes & rivers near forest

When to see it

Mostly likely to occur in May to September

Life History

Breeds locally in central and southern Europe, central and eastern Asia and South Africa. Northern birds winter south to South Asia & Africa.

UK Status

Scarce visitor

VC55 Status

Very rare vagrant

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Black Stork
Species group:
Birds
Kingdom:
Animalia
Order:
Ciconiiformes
Family:
Ciconiidae
Records on NatureSpot:
1
First record:
22/08/2013 (Baker, Rodney)
Last record:
22/08/2013 (Baker, Rodney)

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% of records within its species group

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