Black stork
Ciconia nigra
Maia Duishvili
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 95–100 cm
- Diet
- Fish and amphibians
- Status in Georgia
- Breeding migrant
- Recorded regions
- Kakheti; Kvemo Kartli; Adjara; Shida Kartli
- Habitat
- Forest and river
- Family
- Ciconiidae
- Conservation
- Georgia: VU (2014)
The black stork (Ciconia nigra), known in Georgian as შავი ყარყატი or იშხვარი, is a large migratory bird. It breeds in Georgia and also passes through on migration. Unlike the white stork, it avoids villages: it nests high in a tree in old forest and feeds along rivers and in marshes. It is about 95–100 cm long. Its back, neck and wings are black, its belly white, and its bill and legs red. It is harmless to people. In Georgia it is seen most often in Kakheti, then in Kvemo Kartli, Adjara and Shida Kartli, mostly in May and September. Globally its extinction risk is low. Georgia's 2014 Red List, however, lists it as Vulnerable (VU) under the name „ყარყატი“.
Identification
Black stork: how to identify it
A large dark stork with a white belly and a red bill and legs. In Georgia it breeds in forests and hunts along rivers. It is most often confused with the white stork.
The head, neck, back, upper breast and wings are black with a green and purple gloss. The lower breast and belly are white. Adults have a red bill and legs, which turn brighter in the breeding season. It is about 95–100 cm long, with a wingspan of 144–155 cm and a weight of about 3 kg. Males are slightly larger than females but otherwise look the same.
Young birds are duller, and their bill and legs are greenish grey rather than red. The colours deepen by about one year of age. In flight the neck is stretched forward and the legs trail behind. From below you see black wings and a black breast with the white belly between them.
The white stork has a white body and neck, and only its flight feathers are black. It nests in villages, on roofs and poles. The black stork is almost all black and keeps to the forest. Herons fold their neck in flight. The great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) has a bill hooked at the tip and short dark legs. The glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is much smaller and has a down-curved bill.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
Often confused with
The black stork breeds in old, quiet forests near water, from sea level into the mountains, up to about 2,000 m. It feeds in streams, along riverbanks, in marshes and on damp meadows. It avoids large bodies of water and very dense forest. In Georgia most observations come from Kakheti, including Sagarejo and Dedoplistskaro municipalities. Next comes Kvemo Kartli, especially Gardabani Municipality. In Adjara, near Batumi, it is seen mainly on autumn migration. It is also seen regularly in Shida Kartli. In Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Abkhazia only single birds have been seen.
The black stork map combines public research-grade iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Region with records
It feeds mainly on fish, especially in the breeding season. It also eats frogs, salamanders, insects, snails, crabs, small reptiles, mammals and birds. It hunts in shallow water and on damp meadows, walking slowly and catching prey with its bill.
It is active by day. It is a wary bird and usually lives alone or in pairs. It often soars on rising warm air. On migration it travels alone or in small groups, sometimes of up to 100 birds. In 2011–2018 the autumn count near Batumi recorded between 992 and 1,750 black storks each autumn. In Georgia it is seen mostly from March to October; in winter it has been seen only once, in January 2023. Pairs nest far apart, usually at least 1 km from each other. The nest is a large structure of sticks, 4–25 m up in a big tree, and in some countries on a cliff. The same nest is used year after year. It lays 3–5 white eggs, which hatch after 32–38 days. The young leave the nest at 63–71 days old. It clatters its bill less than the white stork. It calls rarely: low grunts, whistles and hisses.
Globally the black stork is assessed as Least Concern (LC, 2025). It has a very large range, and the number of mature birds is estimated at about 21,400–42,100. Its global population trend is unknown. Georgia's current 2014 Red List lists it as Vulnerable (VU) under the name „ყარყატი“. An updated assessment from 2021, not yet approved, rates it Near Threatened (NT) in Georgia because its breeding population is small. That assessment does not change its official status. Its main threat is habitat loss: felling of the large old trees it nests in, dam building and the draining of marshes. It sometimes collides with power lines, and in some countries it is hunted on migration.
Teimuraz Popiashvili · Maia Duishvili · hsde66 · Tamara Szentivanyi · Giorgi Natsvlishvili · tomo_m · Antonina Zakharova
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Yes. It breeds in Georgia and also passes through on migration. It is seen most often in May and September.
It is seen most often in Kakheti, and also in Kvemo Kartli and Shida Kartli, by rivers and marshes. In Adjara, near Batumi, it is seen mainly in autumn, on migration. Do not go looking for its nest: the bird does not tolerate disturbance.
The black stork has a black head, neck, back and wings, and only its belly is white. The white stork has a white body, and only its flight feathers are black. The white stork nests in villages, on roofs and poles, while the black stork hides in the forest.
It is about 95–100 cm long, with a wingspan of 144–155 cm and a weight of about 3 kg.
Mainly from March to October. It is seen most often in May, during breeding, and in September, on migration. In winter it has been seen only once, in January 2023.
Mainly fish. It also eats frogs, salamanders, insects, snails, small reptiles and mammals. It hunts in shallow water and on damp meadows.
The black stork is a harmless, wary bird. Globally its extinction risk is low. Georgia's 2014 Red List, however, lists it as Vulnerable under the name „ყარყატი“. An updated assessment, not yet approved, rates it Near Threatened in Georgia. Do not disturb the bird or its nest.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
