The storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading
birds with long stout bills. They occur in most of the
warmer regions of the world. They tend to live in drier
habitats than their relatives the herons, spoonbills and
ibises, and lack the powder down that those groups use
to clean off fish slime. Storks lack a pharynx and are
mute; bill-clattering is an important mode of stork communication
at the nest. Many species are migratory. Storks eat frogs,
fish, insects, worms and small birds or mammals. Storks
are heavy birds with wide wingspans. The Marabou Stork,
with a 3.2 m (10.5 ft) wingspan shares the distinction
of "longest wingspan of any landbird" with the
Andean Condor. They tend to use soaring, gliding flight,
which conserves their expenditure of energy. Soaring requires
thermal air currents. Ottomar Anschütz's famous 1884
albumen photographs of storks inspired the design and
engineering of aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal's experimental
gliders of the late 19th century.
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