White stork

Birds of this species are about 100–115 cm long. Their wingspan is often about 155–215 cm, and they often weigh about 2.3–4.5 kg. The body and neck are white. The feathers on the wings that help them fly are black and stand out clearly in flight. Adults have red beaks and legs. The skin around the eyes is dark. Females are slightly smaller than males on average, but in the wild, size alone is not a reliable way to tell them apart.

A young bird has a dark or brownish-black beak rather than an entirely red one; its legs are darker too. Up close, beak color is the best clue to its age. In flight, it stretches out its long neck and holds its long legs behind it. Its broad wings have a black trailing edge. A heron folds its neck in flight.

The black stork (Ciconia nigra) is listed in the 2024 list as a migratory bird that nests here. Its national assessment in that list is NT. The 2014 list records it as VU under the name “stork.” Its back, neck and wings are dark, while its belly is white. It nests in forests and river valleys, not on village roofs. The great white egret (Ardea alba) is entirely white, with no black feathers on its wings. It has a yellow bill and an S-shaped neck. Pink and crested pelicans are much larger and have pouched bills. The oriental white stork (Ciconia boyciana) is not in the 2024 list. This atlas does not yet have a separate page for the black stork.

In Georgia, the names of these birds are used in different ways. A 2014 list calls C. ciconia “ლაკლაკი” and C. nigra “ყარყატი”. This page calls C. ciconia “თეთრი ყარყატი” (“white stork”) because the name directly describes its color. “ლაკლაკი” is also an official name for it. In legal texts, “ყარყატი” on its own refers to the black species. It poses no direct threat to people. A white bird with black wings and a red beak perched on a pole in a village is this species.