Stork 74202 225569530 2008-07-14T10:33:36Z Arpingstone 7095 Px values in image code removed to comply with Wikipedia policy, as stated in [[WP:IUP]] - allows users to set their own image size via User Preferences {{Otheruses}} {{Taxobox | name = Storks | image = Kounotori 06f4233q.jpg | image_width = 220px | image_caption = [[Oriental Stork]], ''Ciconia boyciana'' | regnum = [[Animalia]] | phylum = [[Chordata]] | classis = [[Aves]] | subclassis = [[Neornithes]] | infraclassis = [[Neognathae]] | superordo = [[Neoaves]] | ordo = [[Ciconiiformes]] | familia = '''Ciconiidae''' | familia_authority = [[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1840 | subdivision_ranks = [[Genera]] | subdivision = ''[[Anastomus]]''<br /> ''[[Ciconia]]''<br /> ''[[Ephippiorhynchus]]''<br /> ''[[Jabiru]]''<br /> ''[[Leptoptilos]]''<br /> ''[[Mycteria]]''<br /> }} '''Storks''' are large, long-legged, long-necked wading [[bird]]s with long stout [[Beak|bills]], belonging to the [[family (biology)|family]] '''Ciconiidae'''. They occur in most of the warmer regions of the world and tend to live in drier habitats than the related [[heron]]s, [[spoonbill]]s, and [[ibis]]es; they also lack the [[powder down]] that those groups use to clean off [[fish]] slime. Storks have no [[Syrinx (biology)|syrinx]] and are mute, giving no [[bird call]]; bill-clattering is an important mode of stork [[Animal communication|communication]] at the nest. Many species are [[bird migration|migratory]]. Most storks eat [[frog]]s, [[fish]], [[insect]]s, [[earthworm]]s, and small [[bird]]s or [[mammal]]s. There are 19 living [[species]] of storks in six [[genera]]. Storks tend to use [[soaring]], gliding flight, which conserves energy. Soaring requires [[thermal]] air currents. [[Ottomar Anschütz]]'s famous 1884 album of photographs of storks inspired the design of [[Otto Lilienthal]]'s experimental [[glider]]s of the late 19th century. Storks are heavy, with wide [[wingspan]]s: the [[Marabou Stork]], with a wingspan of 3.2 m (10.5 ft), joins the [[Andean Condor]] in having the widest wingspan of all living land birds. Their [[bird nest|nest]]s are often very large and may be used for many years. Some have been known to grow to over 2 m (6 ft) in diameter and about 3 m (10 ft) in depth. Storks were once thought to be [[monogamy|monogamous]], but this is only partially true. They may change mates after migrations, and may migrate without a mate. They tend to be attached to nests as much as partners. Storks' size, serial monogamy, and faithfulness to an established nesting site contribute to their prominence in mythology and culture. ==Etymology== [[Image:Stork nest on power mast.jpg|thumb|right|White Storks build large nests in high places.]] The [[modern English]] word can be traced back to [[Proto Germanic]] ''*sturkaz''. Nearly every Germanic language has a descendant of this proto-language word to indicate the ([[White Stork|White]]) stork. Related names also occur in many [[Eastern Europe]]an, especially [[Slavonic languages]], originating as Germanic [[loanword]]s. According to the ''New [[Shorter Oxford English Dictionary]]'', the Germanic root is probably related to the modern English "stark", in reference to the stiff or rigid posture of a European species, the [[White Stork]]. A non-Germanic word linked to it may be [[Greek language|Greek]] ''torgos'' ("vulture"). [[Image:VictorianPostcard.jpg|thumb|right|Woman defending herself against child-bearing stork. Postcard, c.1900.]] In some [[West Germanic languages]] cognate words of a different etymology exist. They originate from ''*uda-faro'', ''uda'' being related to ''water'' meaning something like ''swamp'' or ''moist area'' and ''faro'' being related to ''fare'', so ''*uda-faro'' being ''he who walks in the swamp''. In later times this name got reanalyzed as ''*ōdaboro'', ''ōda'' "fortune, wealth" + ''boro'' "bearer" meaning ''he who brings wealth'' adding to the myth of storks as maintainers of welfare and bringing the children: In [[Estonian language|Estonian]], "stork" is ''toonekurg'', which is derived from ''toonela'' ([[underworld]] in Estonian folklore) + ''kurg''([[Crane (bird)|crane]]). It may seem not to make sense to associate the now-common [[white stork]] with death, but at the times they were named, the now-rare [[black stork]] was probably the more common species. ==Systematics== Distinct and possibly widespread by the Oligocene, like most families of aquatic birds storks seem to have arisen in the [[Paleogene]], maybe 40-50 [[million years ago]]. For the fossil record of living genera, see there. Though some storks are highly threatened, no species or subspecies are known to have gone [[extinct]] in historic times. 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]]. '''Family Ciconidae''' *Genus ''[[Palaeoephippiorhynchus]]'' ([[fossil]]: Early Oligocene of Fayyum, Egypt)<!-- ActaPaleontolPol50:549 --> *Genus ''[[Grallavis]]'' ([[fossil]]: Early Miocene of Saint-Gérand-le-Puy, France, and Djebel Zelten, Libya) - may be same as ''Prociconia'' *Ciconiidae gen. et sp. indet. (Ituzaingó Late Miocene of Paraná, Argentina)<ref>[[Tarsometatarsus]] fragments somewhat similar to ''Mycteria'': Cione ''et al.'' (2000), Noriega & Cladera (2005)</ref> *Ciconiidae gen. et sp. indet. (Puerto Madryn Late Miocene of Punta Buenos Aires, Argentina)<ref>Specimen [[Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio|MEF]] 1363: Incomplete skeleton of a large stork somewhat similar to ''Jabiru'' but apparently more [[plesiomorph]]ic: Noriega & Cladera (2005)</ref> *Genus ''[[Prociconia]]'' ([[fossil]]: Late Pleistocene of Brazil) - may belong to modern genus ''Jabiru'' or ''Ciconia''<!-- Evolution39:1174 --> *Genus ''[[Pelargosteon]]'' ([[fossil]]: Early Pleistocene of Romania) *Ciconiidae gen. et sp. indet. - formerly ''Aquilavus/Cygnus bilinicus'' ([[fossil]]: Early Miocene of Břešťany, Czechia) [[Image:Painted Stork.jpg|thumb|right|thumb|upright|[[Painted Stork]], ''Mycteria leucocephala'']] [[Image:Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) near Hodal I Picture 2021.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Male [[Black-necked Stork]], ''Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus'' (note dark iris)]] *cf. ''Leptoptilos'' gen. et sp. indet. - formerly ''L. siwalicensis'' ([[fossil]]: Late Miocene? - Late Pliocene of Siwalik, India)<ref>Specimens [[BMNH]] 39741 (holotype, left [[proximal]] [[tarsometatarsus]]) and BMNH 39734 (right [[distal]] [[tibiotarsus]]). Similar to ''Ephippiorhynchus'' and ''Leptotilos'', may be from a small female of ''Leptotilos falconeri'', from ''L. dubius'', or from another species: Louchart ''et al.'' (2005)</ref> *Ciconiidae gen. et sp. indet. ([[fossil]]: Late Pleistocene of San Josecito Cavern, Mexico)<ref>[[Distal]] [[radius (bone)|radius]] of a mid-sized ''Ciconia'' or smallish ''Mycteria'': Steadman ''et al.'' (1994)</ref> *Genus ''[[Mycteria]]'' **[[Milky Stork]] (''Mycteria cinerea'') **[[Yellow-billed Stork]] (''Mycteria ibis'') **[[Painted Stork]] ('' Mycteria leucocephala'') **[[Wood Stork]] (''Mycteria americana'') *Genus ''[[Anastomus]]'' **[[Asian Openbill Stork]], '' Anastomus oscitans '' **[[African Openbill Stork]], '' Anastomus lamelligerus '' *Genus ''[[Ciconia]]'' **[[Abdim's Stork]], '' Ciconia abdimii '' **[[Woolly-necked Stork]], '' Ciconia episcopus '' **[[Storm's Stork]], ''Ciconia stormi '' **[[Maguari Stork]], '' Ciconia maguari '' **[[Oriental Stork]], '' Ciconia boyciana '' **[[White Stork]] ''Ciconia ciconia'' **[[Black Stork]] ''Ciconia nigra'' *Genus ''[[Ephippiorhynchus]]'' **[[Black-necked Stork]], '' Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus '' **[[Saddle-billed Stork]], '' Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis '' *Genus ''[[Jabiru]]'' **[[Jabiru]] '' Jabiru mycteria'' *Genus ''[[Leptoptilos]]'' **[[Lesser Adjutant]], ''Leptoptilos javanicus'' **[[Greater Adjutant]], '' Leptoptilos dubius '' **[[Marabou Stork]], ''Leptoptilos crumeniferus '' The fossil genus ''[[Ciconiopsis]]'' (Deseado Early Oligocene of Patagonia, Argentina) is often tentatively placed with this family. ==Symbolism of storks== ===Childbirth === [[Image:Buster Brown baby.jpg|thumb|right|Baby-bearing stork in [[Buster Brown]] cartoon]] In Western culture the White Stork is a symbol of [[childbirth]]. In [[Victorian Age|Victorian times]] the details of human reproduction were difficult to approach, especially in reply to a younger child's query of "Where did I come from?"; "The stork brought you to us" was the tactic used to avoid discussion of [[sexual intercourse|sex]].{{Fact|date=June 2008}} This habit was derived from the once popular superstition that storks were the harbingers of happiness and prosperity, and possibly from the habit of some storks of nesting atop chimneys, down which the new baby could be imagined as entering the house. The image of a stork bearing an infant wrapped in a [[sling]] held in its beak is common in [[popular culture]]. The small pink or reddish patches often found on a newborn child's eyelids, between the eyes, on the upper lip, and on the nape of the neck are sometimes still called "stork bites". In fact they are clusters of developing [[vein]]s that soon fade. The stork's folkloric role as a bringer of babies and harbinger of luck and prosperity may originate from the [[Netherlands]] and Northern [[Germany]], where it is common in children's nursery stories. In Walt Disney's 4th classic [[Dumbo]], the stork (more generally "Mr. Stork") delivers babies to their animal mothers. At the beginning of the film, he delivers Dumbo to Mrs. Jumbo. He is voiced by [[Sterling Holloway]]. [[Vlasic]] uses this child-bearing stork as a [[mascot]] in [[North America]] for its brand of [[Pickled cucumber|pickle]]s, merging the stork-baby mythology with the notion that [[pregnant]] women have an above-average appetite for pickles. The [[Bible]] makes reference to the stork, e.g. Leviticus 11:19. === Regional Symbolism === The [[white stork]] is the symbol of [[The Hague]] in the [[Netherlands]], where about 25 percent of European storks breed, as well as of [[Poland]], where the majority of the remainder breed. It is also a symbol of the region of [[Alsace]] in eastern France. It is also the [[national bird]] of [[Belarus]]. In [[Vietnam]], the stork symbolize the strenuousness of poor Vietnamese farmers and the diligence of Vietnamese women. ==Mythology of storks== [[Image:Storks Portugal.JPG|thumb|right|Storks nesting near [[Aveiro]], [[Portugal]].]] [[Image:CigüeñaenÁvila.jpg|thumb|A [[White Stork]] in flight in Spain.]] [[Image:Cigüeña volando.JPG|thumb]] Most of these myths tend to refer to the [[White Stork]]. *The motto "Birds of a feather flock together" is appended to [[Aesop]]'s [[fable]] of the farmer and the stork his net caught among the [[crane (bird)|crane]]s that were robbing his fields of grain. The stork vainly pleaded to be spared, being no crane. *The [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] word for stork was equivalent to "devotee" (namely a devout, God-fearing, religiously observant or righteous, pious and kind woman), and the care of storks for their young, in their highly visible nests, made the stork a widespread [[emblem]] of parental care. It was widely noted in ancient natural history that a stork pair will be consumed with the nest in a fire, rather than fly and abandon it. *In [[Greek mythology]], Gerana was an Æthiope, the enemy of [[Hera]], who changed her into a stork, a punishment Hera also inflicted on [[Antigone]], daughter of Laomedon of Troy ([[Ovid]], ''Metamorphoses'' 6.93). Stork-Gerana tried to abduct her child, Mopsus. This accounted, for the Greeks, for the mythic theme of the war between the pygmies and the storks. In popular Western culture, there is a common image of a stork bearing an infant wrapped in cloths held in its beak; the stork, rather than absconding with the child Mopsus, is pictured as ''delivering'' the infant, an image of [[childbirth]]. *The stork is alleged in folklore to be monogamous although in fact this monogamy is ''serial'' monogamy, the pair bond lasting one season (see above). For Early [[Christianity|Christians]] the stork became an emblem of a highly respected ''white marriage'', that is, a [[chaste]] marriage. This symbolism endured to the seventeenth century, as in [[Henry Peacham]]'s emblem book ''[[Minerva Britanna]]'' (1612) (see link). *In Norse mythology, [[Hoenir]] gives to mankind the spirit gift, the ''óðr'' that includes will and memory and makes us human (see Rydberg link). Hoenir's epithets ''langifótr'' "long-leg" and ''aurkonungr'' "mire-king" identify him possibly as a kind of stork. Such a Stork King figures in northern European myths and fables. However, it is possible that there is confusion here between the White Stork and the more northerly-breeding [[Common Crane]], which superficially resembles a stork but is completely unrelated. *In rural Denmark, it means bad luck if a stork builds a nest on your roof; it means, that someone in the house will die before the end of the year. *Though "Stork" is rare as an [[English language|English]] surname, the [[Czech language|Czech]] surname "Čapek" means "little stork". *In [[Bulgaria]]n folklore, the stork is a symbol of the coming spring (as this is the time when the birds return to nest in [[Bulgaria]] after their winter [[Bird migration|migration]]) and in certain regions of Bulgaria it plays a central role in the custom of [[Martenitsa]]: when the first stork is sighted it is time to take off the red-and-white Martenitsa tokens, for spring is truly come. *For the [[China|Chinese]], the stork was able to snatch up a worthy man, like the flute-player [[Lan Caihe|Lan Ts'ai Ho]], and carry him to a blissful life. *In [[Ancient Egypt]] the [[Saddle-billed Stork]] was associated with the human ''ba''; they had the same phonetic value. The ''ba'' was the unique individual character of each human being: a stork with a human head was an image of the ''ba''-soul, which unerringly migrates home each night, like the stork, to be reunited with the body during the Afterlife. [http://www.egyptologyonline.com/the_afterlife.htm] *A series of sightings of a mysterious [[pterodactyl]]-like creature in South Texas' [[Rio Grande Valley]] in the 1970s has been attributed to an errant [[jabiru]] that become lost during a migratory flight and wound up in an unfamiliar region, or an ''[[Ephippiorhynchus]]'' stork escaped from captivity (see [[Big Bird (cryptid)|Big Bird]]). ==Footnotes== {{Reflist}} ==References== * {{aut|Cione, Alberto Luis; de las Mercedes Azpelicueta, María; Bond, Mariano; Carlini, Alfredo A.; Casciotta, Jorge R.; Cozzuol, Mario Alberto; de la Fuente, Marcelo; Gasparini, Zulma; Goin, Francisco J.; Noriega, Jorge; Scillatoyané, Gustavo J.; Soibelzon, Leopoldo; Tonni, Eduardo Pedro; Verzi, Diego & Guiomar Vucetich, María}} (2000): Miocene vertebrates from Entre Ríos province, eastern Argentina. [English with Spanish abstract] ''In:'' {{aut|Aceñolaza, F.G. & Herbst, R. (eds.)}}: El Neógeno de Argentina. ''INSUGEO Serie Correlación Geológica'' '''14''': 191-237. [http://www.unt.edu.ar/fcsnat/INSUGEO/libro_neogeno/neogeno_argentina.pdf PDF fulltext] * {{aut|Louchart, Antoine; Vignaud, Patrick; Likius, Andossa; Brunet, Michel & and White, Tim D.}} (2005): A large extinct marabou stork in African Pliocene hominid sites, and a review of the fossil species of ''Leptoptilos''. ''Acta Palaeontologica Polonica'' '''50'''(3): 549–563. [http://www.app.pan.pl/acta50/app50-549.pdf PDF fulltext] * {{aut|Noriega, Jorge Ignacio & Cladera, Gerardo}} (2005): ''First Record of Leptoptilini (Ciconiiformes: Ciconiidae) in the Neogene of South America''. Abstracts of Sixth International Meeting of the Society of Avian Paleontology and Evolution: 47. [http://nrm.museum/ve/birds/sape/SAPE_abstracts_2004.pdf PDF fulltext] * {{aut|Steadman, David W.; Arroyo-Cabrales, Joaquin; Johnson, Eileen & Guzman, A. Fabiola}} (1994): New Information on the Late Pleistocene Birds from San Josecito Cave, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. ''[[Condor (journal)|Condor]]'' '''96'''(3): 577-589. [http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/DJVU/v096n03/P0577-P0589.djvu DjVu fulltext] [http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v096n03/p0577-p0589.pdf PDF fulltext] ==External links== {{commonscat|Ciconiidae}} {{wiktionary}} *[http://www.bociany.kalinski.pl/ 24 h Camera] Live 24h camera from Stork's nest in [[Poland]] *[http://f01.middlebury.edu/FS010A/STUDENTS/n111.htm Scott MacDonald, "The Stork"] emblematic uses *[http://www.ebepe.com/html/stork.html Storks] Image documentation *[http://www.dunainfo.net/webkamera/ Stork family] Live webcam image from [[Hungary]]. Please allow a few seconds to download. *[http://www.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/familia.phtml?idFamilia=22 Stork videos] on the Internet Bird Collection [[Category:Ciconiidae| ]] [[Category:Storks]] [[Category:Heraldic birds]] [[ar:لقلق]] [[ca:Cigonya]] [[cs:Čáp]] [[co:Cigogna]] [[da:Storke]] [[de:Störche]] [[el:Πελαργός]] [[es:Ciconiidae]] [[eo:Cikoniedoj]] [[fr:Ciconiidae]] [[io:Cikonio]] [[id:Bangau]] [[it:Ciconiidae]] [[he:חסידה]] [[sw:Korongo (Ciconiidae)]] [[la:Ciconia (avis)]] [[lt:Gandriniai]] [[li:Storke]] [[hu:Gólyafélék]] [[nl:Ooievaars]] [[nds-nl:Stöarke]] [[ja:コウノトリ科]] [[no:Storker]] [[nds:Stork]] [[pl:Bocianowate]] [[pt:Cegonha]] [[ru:Аистовые]] [[simple:Stork]] [[sk:Bocian]] [[sl:Štorklje]] [[sr:Рода]] [[fi:Kattohaikarat]] [[sv:Storkar]] [[tr:Leylek]] [[uk:Лелека]] [[zh:鹳科]]