COVER STORY: SPECIES PROFILE
THE white stork (Ciconia ciconia) of western Asia, North Africa and Europe is the best known of the 20 species of storks. The population found in eastern Asia, Siberia, China and Japan was once considered a subspecies – the largest – known as the Asiatic white stork. It is now considered a separate species, the Oriental stork (C. boyciana).
In many countries, the appearance of flocks of white storks returning from their winter quarters has long heralded the birth of spring. Their white plumage is a symbol of purity. The perpetuation of the Greek fable that storks operate a delivery service for human babies spans centuries and is embedded in European folklore. In many countries, modern greeting cards still celebrate the birth of a baby by depicting a white stork.
The Romans took the
