Oriental white stork  (Ciconia boyciana)

Range

The Oriental white stork breeds along the border of Russia and mainland China, particularly in the Amur River and Ussuri River basins. It winters in the lower Yangtze River basin and southern China, although small numbers are also found in North Korea, South Korea, Japan, and occasionally in the Philippines, northeastern India, Burma and Bangladesh. It may also be found as a summer vagrant in eastern Mongolia. The current population is thought to stand at 3,000 birds, following considerable declines in Russia (2).

View a distribution map for this species at UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

Habitat

During the breeding season the Oriental white stork is found nesting in tall trees and on man-made structures such as electricity pylons located in open freshwater wetlands and tidal flats (2). In winter it occupies a variety of wetland habitats, both estuarine and freshwater. It can be seen in paddy fields, shallow rivers, on beaches, in inter-tidal marshes, and on agricultural land near lakes, rivers and reservoirs. It roosts in coniferous trees at night (6).

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