Differences between Blackbird and Stork

Blackbird and Stork are two classes of birds that belong to the Icteridae and Ciconiidae families respectively.

The New World Blackbirds are tiny songbirds. They have glossy plumage. While the male have black feathers, orange beaks, and orange rings around their eyes, the feathers of the female are a paler black or brown with their beaks and eye rims being yellow. There are about 26 species of Blackbirds. Some of them are Rusty Blackbird, Brewer’s Blackbird, and Red-winged Blackbird.

Stork is a large wading bird with long legs and long beak. Its beak and legs are usually red in color, while its eyes are grey. The color of its body could be streaks of white, black, and red depending on the geography. The bird’s head and upper neck are usually not covered with feathers. The Stork is almost mute as it has an undeveloped syrinx. The Stork family consists of about 20 species of birds such as Marabou Stork and Adjutant Stork. The family is related to Herons, Ibises, and Flamingos.

Where are Blackbird and Stork found?

Blackbirds live in swamps, meadows, wetlands, forests, agricultural lands, parks, farms, and cities. They are distributed across North America, South America, Canada, Europe, and parts of Russia. They have also been introduced in Australia and New Zealand.

Storks choose to live near marshes, grasslands, meadows, rivers, ponds, and lakes. They are not prevalent across the world. They exist chiefly in Asia, Africa, and Europe. One bird from their species can be found in Australia, while three others occur around Argentina and Florida.

What do Blackbird and Stork eat?

Blackbirds are omnivores. They eat worms, ants, spiders, insects, grasshoppers, beetles, small reptiles and amphibians, seeds, berries, and fruits.

Storks are carnivores that mainly eat fish. They also feed on reptiles, insects, amphibians, mice, worms, mollusks, crustaceans, and even small alligators. They generally capture their prey in fields and shallow waters.

Here are a few pointers about the eating patterns between Blackbird and Stork

• Both Blackbird and Stork eat Fish.
• Both Blackbird and Stork eat Frogs.
• Both Blackbird and Stork eat Lizards.
• Both Blackbird and Stork eat Snakes.
• Blackbird do not eat Turtles while Stork eat Turtles.
• Blackbird do not eat Squirrels while Stork eat Squirrels.
• Blackbird do not eat Gophers while Stork eat Gophers.
• Blackbird do not eat Baby Ducks while Stork eat Baby Ducks.
• Mice are eaten by both Blackbird and Stork.

Size of Blackbird and Stork?

When it comes to size, Blackbirds are small birds. They are about seven to 10 inches long with a wingspan of 13 inches.. Storks are huge birds. They are about two to five feet tall with wide wings that measure over 10 feet. The biggest storks in the world are the Shoebill and Marabou that stand five feet tall.

As Blackbirds are petite, their average weight is only two to four ounces. while Average weight of Storks is 3-17 pounds depending on the species. Marabou is the largest species and weighs around 17 pounds.

Where do Blackbird and Stork nest?

Blackbirds construct their nests in trees, shrubs, tree holes, or cavities in the ground. The nests are shaped like small cups and are made of twigs, grass, and other plant material. The nests are lined with mud and fine grass. The female bird builds the nest about two weeks before the breeding season. She uses the well-constructed nests for multiple broods in the season. The eggs are bluish green with brown spots. They are incubated by the female for 13-14 days. The young ones will be able to fledge when they are about two weeks old.

Storks build their nests on trees and shrubs that stand in flooded water. They do so to keep predators away from eating the eggs. Both male and female birds participate in the construction of the nest, besides sharing the responsibility to incubate them for about five weeks, after which the eggs hatch. Baby Storks usually fledge 50-65 days after hatching. An interesting fact about parenting in Storks is that the parents sometimes throw some chicks out of the nests so that they can feed the healthy chicks well and support their survival.

How long do Blackbird and Stork live?

The average lifespan of blackbirds is 2.4-3.4 years. According to bird ringing data, the longest-lived blackbird was 21 years and 10 months old. It lived in the UK.

Storks can live for over 30 years in the wild. They have been known to live up to 35 years in captivity. The longest living species was a White Stork that lived for 39 years in Switzerland.

Are Blackbird or Stork migratory birds?

Blackbirds migrate or reside in the same territory throughout the year depending on geography. The ones in the UK are residents. Birds from northern Europe migrate to UK during winters. Red-winged Blackbirds migrate from Canada and other countries in northern parts of North America to spend winters in southern parts of the continent. Some Blackbirds of Russia reside in the same place for winters, while some travel towards the south or east.

Storks migrate during winters to warmer regions as they cannot find food in colder weather. They are known to migrate long distances, for instance from Europe to Africa, sub-Saharan region to South Africa or India. They mostly migrate in huge groups.

Do Blackbird and Stork fly in flocks?

A group of Blackbirds is known as a cluster, cloud, or merl. Blackbirds are mostly solitary. They live in their own territories or interact with small groups of their own species. The birds however flock in large numbers during migration.

A group of Storks is known as a muster of Storks or a phalanx of Storks. These birds are highly sociable. They stay together and migrate in massive flocks that can even encompass a thousand birds. However, during the breeding season they prefer smaller groups or solitude.

Are Blackbird or Stork protected?

Blackbirds are protected in their resident countries under wildlife protection laws. Harming or hunting them is prohibited in these countries. However, Blackbirds destroying crops in Australia can be killed.

Storks are a protected species in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Conservation laws like the African Conservation Action Plan and the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement have come up in response to concerns of the International Union for Conservation of Nature that the Black Storks are not protected satisfactorily.

Are Blackbird or Stork endangered?

Blackbirds are not endangered. They are the highest breeding birds in the UK. They live in plenty in Europe. Rusty Blackbird is one species that is listed as vulnerable in Canada. Its population is also reducing in North America.

Storks are extant birds. They had become extinct in the UK about 500 years back but emerged back in the 1970s. They have however become extinct in Japan, Korea, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. The Adjutant Stork is endangered in India and Cambodia, and the Painted Stork is critically endangered in parts of Asia. Very few Storks are also left in Italy due to widespread poaching.

Can Blackbird and Stork fly?

Blackbirds fly short to long distances during migration. They may travel 100-800 miles in winters. They prefer flying in large flocks while travelling.

Storks fly with their neck and legs stretched out. They flap and soar with their broad wings, using thermal air currents. They can reach altitudes of 1,500 metres above sea level and touch speeds of over 110 miles per hour. During migration, they fly nearly 4,400 miles.

Can Blackbird and Stork swim?

Blackbirds are good swimmers. They can dive and swim underwater to catch a fish.

Storks are not swimmers. They do not prefer deep waters and usually choose shallow waters for their habitat.

Mating patterns among Blackbird and Stork

Blackbirds reach sexual maturity when they are a year old. They are more friendly during the breeding season. During courtship, the male attracts the female by running sideways and making head movements. He also tries to sing to woo her. It is the female’s responsibility to construct the nest and incubate the eggs. Once the eggs hatch, both partners share responsibility to feed the young ones.

Storks start breeding when they are about four years old. The male bird is the first one to arrive at the nesting site. He initiates by building a nest or revamping an existing one and ducking on it. The male and female engage in elaborate mating dances. They raise a single brood each year, which consists of two to five eggs.

When is the mating season for Blackbird and Stork ?

The mating season for Blackbirds generally occurs during March-July. The birds raise three to four broods in a single breeding season.

The breeding season for Storks is generally the spring. This is usually from the start of February till the end of April.

Do Blackbird and Stork mate for life?

Blackbirds are mostly monogamous. The partners mate for life and defend their territories with their partners. In case of unsuccessful broods or loss of brood to a predator, the male may seek a new partner while the female prepares herself for the next brood.

Storks are known to be monogamous and faithful to their partners during every breeding season and even for a few years. They may find new partners during migrations or in consecutive breeding seasons. In case of monogamous partners, they generally revisit their nesting site and use the same nests with little restoration.

How do Blackbird and Stork sleep?

Blackbirds are nocturnal, although they may nap during the day. They sleep in tree holes and cavities. In winters, they may roost in flocks to maintain body temperature.

Storks roost in colonies. They sleep on trees and shrubs surrounded by water. Some storks even sleep standing on one leg in water.

Can Blackbird and Stork be eaten?

Blackbirds are known to taste bitter. Their meat were consumed in the past in Ireland and parts of Europe. However, the tradition is fading away. Conservation laws also do not permit killing of Blackbirds for meat.

Storks are edible and some people do eat them. However, the bird is protected, and it is illegal to kill them for food.

Can you hunt Blackbird or Stork?

Blackbirds were hunted for meat. They were also killed for destroying farms and crops. Modern laws do not permit hunting of the birds. However, in Australia, Blackbirds are considered as pests and allowed to be killed to protect commercial crops.

Thousands of White Storks lose their lives every year due to illegal hunting for sport, especially in Lebanon and Italy. The birds are also shot for their meat. All this is despite existence of laws to protect the bird.

Can you feed Blackbird or Stork?

Blackbirds can be given worms, oats, maize, and dried fruits. In captivity, they are fed with grasshoppers, worms, ants, beetles, spiders, and dried fruits.

Feeding wild animals and birds in public places is not permitted in places like USA, Singapore, and Dubai. Storks are huge birds and need to be fed a lot of food. In captivity, these birds are fed with fish, frogs, small birds, earthworms, lizards, and meat.