Adults have white bodies, black wing feathers, long legs and a reddish bill. They use open wetlands in Europe and other parts of their range.
Adults also have red legs, and the sexes have similar plumage. Young birds have dark bills and look different from adults.
White storks circle in air warmed by the sun to gain height, then glide onward. In 2014, researchers fitted GPS loggers to 61 young storks from nests in southern Germany. Twenty-seven began migration together and travelled toward northern Spain, roughly 1,000 kilometres away. After some birds left the flock during the first five days, 17 arrived in Spain together.
Researchers analysed one-second GPS tracks of birds circling in thermals. Among path segments classified as highly similar, 72% had less than three seconds between the birds changing direction. Storks were also more likely to circle in the same direction when their height difference was under 40 metres. The membership of synchronized subgroups changed over time. The team also used the flock’s tracks to map the position and strength of one thermal, showing how the birds’ movement can reveal the air they are riding.
IUCN Red List · Least Concern · Global
The IUCN Red List’s global assessment dated 5 June 2025 lists the White Stork as Least Concern (LC), with an increasing population trend. The assessment records a systematic monitoring scheme and conservation sites identified across the range; it lists no recovery plan.