The Oriental White Storks, Ciconia boyciana is a large, up to 115cm long, white bird with black wing feathers. It is closely related to and resembles the European White Stork, of which it was formerly often treated as a subspecies. Unlike the latter species, it has red skin around its eye, a whitish iris, and a black bill.
Its diet consists mainly of fish, frogs, and small animals. The Oriental White Storks is a solitary bird except during the breeding season. The female lays 2 to 6 eggs and is slightly smaller than the male. The young is white with an orange bill.
At one time, the Oriental Stork could be found in Japan, China, Korea, and Russia. It is now extinct in Japan and South Korea. After breeding, the storks migrate to eastern China in September and return in March.
Stork General Info … Photos of the Different Members of the Stork Family for Identification
The scientific name commemorates Robert Henry Boyce.
Due to habitat loss and overhunting, the Oriental Stork is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES.
