Oriental Stork (Ciconia boyciana): habitat and range

Fun facts

It used to be treated as a subspecies of the European white stork, which is today considered its closest relative.
Satellite tracking was decisive in discovering its migratory stopover areas, until then unknown.
In Japan it is known as the konotori and has been the subject of reintroduction programmes after its local extinction.

Life cycle and biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat and environment: Temperate woodland and wetlands. It nests in the tops of tall trees and on artificial structures such as electricity poles. It feeds in shallow open water, wetlands and occasionally coastal marshes
Birth weight: 73 g at hatching
Size at birth: The chicks fly at around 61 days
Sexual maturity: 3.5 years
Gestation / incubation: About 33 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 4 eggs, with a single clutch a year

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List (BirdLife International, ficha Ciconia boyciana); Van den Bossche et al. 2001 (seguimiento por satélite); BirdLife International 2001

Where to find it

Best time: It breeds in summer in the Amur and Ussuri basins; it winters on the lower Yangtze and in southern China

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The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.

Where to see it

Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.

Related species

Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Oriental Stork — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.

Shares a park

Same taxonomic family

Shares a park

How to help

The oriental stork is classified as endangered. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.

It's documented in 5 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.

Oriental Stork