12.06.2007

Stork triplets under the shower

During these temperatures of more than 85° F the young storks pant with open beaks to cool themselves, and, of course, they are thirsty. Often now, one can observe that a parent stork flies away and returns with a special refreshment: Out of his beak he/she drizzles and squirts water onto the young ones, up to a full two quarts. Voraciously, the young take a sip and obviously savour the shower during these summery temperatures. Also, the parent storks show a behaviour which they only display during temperatures above 85° F: They chalk their legs, that is, they squirt excrement onto them. This "whitening" of the legs is thermal regulation and protects against overheating.

Winfried Boehmer
NABU Project Leader

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