Black Stork

Ciconia nigra

Introduction

This large, glossy black bird, with white underparts to its body and a small amount of white in the wing, breeds in eastern Europe and migrates to Africa. It is a rare but regular visitor to Britain & Ireland.

Key Stats

Status

Rare

Weight

3kg

Seasonality

<1%

BTO Records

1.4k records

Population and distribution stats for:

No data

No current data

No current data

No data

No current data

No current data

Status and Trends

Population size, trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO and partnership surveys and atlasses with data collected by BTO volunteers.

Conservation Status

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This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

Species of European Conservation Concern

Least Concern

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)

Least Concern

Schedule 1 Licence required (to disturb)*

Birds Directive Annex 1

* A guide only. Check details with the original legislation, especially those marked with an asterisk. See About Birdfacts for more information.

Population Size

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BOU Category

Source

First Record*

Somerset, 1814

* First documented occurrence. Most species undoubtedly occurred before this. See About Birdfacts for more information.

Population Change

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Population trends of this scarce species are not routinely monitored.

Distribution

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This scarce visitor is too rarely reported to map distribution.

Bird Atlas distribution maps show where bird species breed or winter in Britain and Ireland. For breeding maps, larger dots indicate higher certainty the species bred in that area.

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

To view and download up-to-date distribution information aggregated from across BTO and partnership surveys and schemes, see our data holdings on the NBN Atlas.

European Distribution Map

European Breeding Bird Atlas 2

Distribution Change

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This scarce visitor is too rarely reported to map distribution change.

Seasonality

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Black Storks are very rare with occasional records in spring and autumn.

Weekly pattern of occurrence

The graph shows when the species is present in the UK, with taller bars indicating a higher likelihood of encountering the species in appropriate regions and habitats.

Phenology graph — Weekly occurrence patterns (shaded cells and reporting rates (vertical bars) based on BirdTrack data. Reporting rates give the likelihood of encountering the species each week.

Movement

Information about Black Stork movements and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.

Britain & Ireland movement

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View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

Dots show the foreign destinations of birds ringed in Britain & Ireland, and the origins of birds ringed overseas that were subsequently recaptured, resighted or found dead in Britain & Ireland. Dot colours indicate the time of year that the species was present at the location.

Winter (Nov-Feb)
Spring (Mar-Apr)
Summer (May-Jul)
Autumn (Aug-Oct)

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

European movements

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EuroBirdPortal uses birdwatcher's records, such as those logged in BirdTrack to map the flows of birds as they arrive and depart Europe. See maps for this species here.

The Eurasian-African Migration Atlas shows movements of individual birds ringed or recovered in Europe. See maps for this species here.

Biology

Lifecycle and body size information for Black Stork, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.

Survival and Longevity

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Survival is shown as the proportion of birds surviving from one year to the next and is derived from bird ringing data. It can also be used to estimate how long birds typically live.

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report.

Classification, names and codes

Taxonomy, names and species codes for Black Stork

Classification and Codes

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Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ciconiidae
Scientific name: Ciconia nigra
Authority: Linnaeus, 1758

BTO 2-letter code: OS
BTO 5-letter code: BLAST
Euring code number: 1310

Alternate species names

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Catalan: cigonya negra
Czech: cáp cerný
Danish: Sort Stork
Dutch: Zwarte Ooievaar
Estonian: must-toonekurg
Finnish: mustahaikara
French: Cigogne noire
Gaelic: Corra-dhubh

German: Schwarzstorch
Hungarian: fekete gólya
Icelandic: Kolstorkur
Irish: Storc Dubh
Italian: Cicogna nera
Latvian: melnais starkis, goris
Lithuanian: juodasis gandras
Norwegian: Svartstork

Polish: bocian czarny
Portuguese: cegonha-preta
Slovak: bocian cierny
Slovenian: crna štorklja
Spanish: Cigüeña negra
Swedish: svart stork
Welsh: Ciconia Du

More Evidence

More evidence from Conservation Evidence.com

Partners

Birdfacts is based on data collected by volunteers participating in surveys that are organised and funded by BTO, RSPB, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, JNCC and other partners.

BTO

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

JNCC

RSPB

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