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Storks

Storks are large, long-legged birds with substantial bills and long necks, usually held extended in flight. Their outlines vary from slender openbills to heavy marabous and jabirus, and combinations of bare skin, bill shape and contrasting wing colours provide important distinctions. Examples include African Openbill (Anastomus lamelligerus), Marabou Stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer), and Wood Stork (Mycteria americana). They take animal food ranging from aquatic invertebrates to fish, small vertebrates and carrion, depending on the species. Bill profiles and exposed head areas provide clear contrasts among storks whose bodies share broad black-and-white patterns.

How to recognize Storks

  • Look for an extended neck and long trailing legs in flight.
  • Compare bill depth, curvature and any gap between the mandibles.
  • Check bare facial skin and the pattern of dark flight feathers.

Where they live

The family occurs in many tropical and temperate regions, with particularly varied species in Africa and Asia. Wetlands, floodplains, river margins and open landscapes support many species, while others feed in grassland or use forested waterways. Feeding conditions change with water levels, and some populations move seasonally between breeding and nonbreeding areas. A soaring stork may be travelling between distant feeding sites, so the ground directly beneath it need not be typical habitat.

Species accounts: African Openbill · Marabou Stork · Wood Stork

Sources — natural history: Wikipedia: Storks · Cornell Birds of the World: African Openbill (Anastomus lamelligerus), species natural history.

Classification: IOC World Bird List: family names and classification.

Some Cornell Birds of the World account sections require a subscription.

Updated 2026-11-06. Species counts follow this site's catalogue. This is an editorial summary, not an expert peer review.

Explore similarities in appearance, feeding and habitat. These comparisons do not necessarily indicate the closest evolutionary relatives.

Species records retain their original English, Chinese and scientific names.

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African OpenbillAfrican OpenbillAnastomus lamelligerusAsian OpenbillAsian OpenbillAnastomus oscitansMarabou StorkMarabou StorkLeptoptilos crumeniferLesser AdjutantLesser AdjutantLeptoptilos javanicusGreater AdjutantGreater AdjutantLeptoptilos dubiusWood StorkWood StorkMycteria americanaYellow-billed StorkYellow-billed StorkMycteria ibisPainted StorkPainted StorkMycteria leucocephalaMilky StorkMilky StorkMycteria cinereaJabiruJabiruJabiru mycteriaSaddle-billed StorkSaddle-billed StorkEphippiorhynchus senegalensisBlack-necked StorkBlack-necked StorkEphippiorhynchus asiaticusAbdim's StorkAbdim's StorkCiconia abdimiiAfrican Woolly-necked StorkAfrican Woolly-necked StorkCiconia microscelisAsian Woolly-necked StorkAsian Woolly-necked StorkCiconia episcopusStorm's StorkStorm's StorkCiconia stormiBlack StorkBlack StorkCiconia nigraMaguari StorkMaguari StorkCiconia maguariWhite StorkWhite StorkCiconia ciconiaOriental StorkOriental StorkCiconia boyciana