Stephan & Stephanie

Most birds shed their down feathers every year. However storks have some down feathers which fray at the ends to a fine powder, this is distributed to the plumage with the bill in preening.

Storks do not have a voice.

Storks are related to a group of birds that include Herons, Ibises and Bitterns.

Storks, very unusually, do not have a voice. They do however have a very elaborate courting ritual, which they don't mind people seeing! They rattle their beaks to make sound.

These European White Storks would, in the wild, spend the winter in Africa and migrate to Europe via Gibraltar or the Bosphorus. Their flight consists of a few wing flaps then a glide - speeds of 77 km/hr have been recorded. Their nest is a large platform of sticks placed on roof-tops, chimney stacks and tall trees. In most European countries if a stork nests on your house you must not disturb it. Superstition and folk-lore has grown round this link with humans, and some people have associated it with new babies, fertility or good fortune generally!