White stork

Introduction: White storks (Ciconia ciconia) prefer open woodland, grassland, wetland and cultivated habits. Grouping near water around midday is common as is roosting in trees or at shallow wetlands. A feature of white storks is to defecate on their legs in hot weather to cool down.

Distribution: Fish River Canyon and Orange River, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, Etosha National Park, Caprivi, Kaudom Game Park, northern Namib Desert.

Diet: Walks slowly and steadily searching for prey such as locusts, mice, small reptiles such as snakes and lizards, fish, frogs, large insects and molluscs.

Description: Head and upper parts and tail white. Underparts entirely white, underwing coverts white, undersides of flight feathers black. Ciconia is Latin for 'the stork'.

Breeding: Between 1 and 6 eggs are laid between September and November and incubated for about 30 days.

Size: 120cm.

Weight: 3.5kg.

Wingspan: 1.6m.