Differences between Emu and Stork

Emu and Stork are two classes of birds that belong to the Dromaiidae and Ciconiidae families respectively.

Emu is the second largest bird in the world. It is largely depicted in Australian mythology and folklore. The bird is characterized by its long neck and legs. The legs are powerful with each foot having three forward-facing toes. The plumage of Emus is dishevelled. It is usually greyish brown with black tips for absorption of ultra violet radiation. The feathers are silky, soft, and absorb water. The tail feathers are however stiff and are used to intimidate predators. Emus are terrestrial and have small vestigial wings. Emus have exceptionally large eyes that are red with black iris. They have two eyelids – while one blinks, the other blocks dust. The beaks are short and strong. They are used for plucking rough foliage.

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 Emu and Stork found?

Emus live in woodlands, deserts, eucalyptus forests, and regions covered with shrubs. The birds exist only in Australia. Two of their subspecies once existed in King Island and Tasmania. They are now extinct.

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 Emu and Stork eat?

Emus are carnivores although they primarily eat plants. The birds typically eat healthiest parts of the plants, such as fruits, berries, flowers, leaves, grains, and seeds. When accessible, they also eat insects, lizards, snakes, mice, and rodents.

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 Emu and Stork

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

Size of Emu and Stork?

When it comes to size, Emus are only smaller than Ostriches. They are about 5.8 feet in height.. 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.

Emus are well-built birds. The male birds weigh about 71 pounds, while the females weigh around 81 pounds. 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 Emu and Stork nest?

Emus nest on the ground as they cannot get on top of trees or buildings. The nests rest on the surface of the ground or in shallow craters dug up by the partners. The male Emu usually builds the nest with grass, twigs, and leaves. The nests are typically one to two meters in diameter. Emu eggs are dark green with blue spots when they are laid. They eventually turn greyish or brownish owing to exposure to sunlight. The male bird incubates the eggs continuously without food or water and loses considerable weight by the time the eggs hatch. The young ones emerge in about 56 days. The chicks of Emus are five inches tall and about 17.6 ounces in weight when they hatch. They are born with brown and white stripes that fade after three months. During this time, they will not be able to regulate their body temperature. Hence, their father takes care of them for nearly six months. The chicks stay with the father and their siblings for about one and a half years.

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 Emu and Stork live?

The average age of Emus is 10-20 years in the wild. In captivity, they live up to 35 years. The oldest known lived Emu was 38 years old.

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 Emu or Stork migratory birds?

Emus are nomadic birds. Their migratory pattern depends on their location in Australia. The birds from western parts relocate to south-west in winters and north-east in summers. However, the Emus in eastern parts of the country do not migrate long distances. They do not follow a standard migratory pattern. It is understood that food sources and weather are the chief factors that drive the migration of Emus. They either migrate in pairs or in flocks.

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 Emu and Stork fly in flocks?

A flock of Emus is known as a mob. These birds are solitary, shy, and curious. They may also fight amongst themselves. They live alone most of the time. The exception is when they pair up during the breeding season. Also, when they have to travel in quest for new food sources, they form large flocks.

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 Emu or Stork protected?

Emus are protected in Australia. Capturing Emus from the wild is illegal. However, they can be reared in farms with a licence. Emus are commercially bred in the country as trading of their meat, eggs, feathers, and oil is widespread.

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 Emu or Stork endangered?

Emus exist in large populations in Australia. They are listed as species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Emus however face several threats. Birds like eagles and hawks attack Emu chicks, while snakes and other predators steal eggs from the nest. Migrating Emus often get killed in large numbers at dog fences of agricultural lands. Further, some of them also die in road accidents. Forest fires, drought, and loss of habitat due to urbanization and claiming of forest land for cropping are other threats that these birds confront.

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 Emu and Stork fly?

Emus are flightless birds. Their bone structure does not support flying. Further, they are too heavy to lift themselves for aviation. Emus are nevertheless great sprinters. Their powerful legs, calf muscles, and toes permit them to run as fast as 30 miles an hour. They flap their wings for balance while running. Emus travel long distances in search of food and for migration. They do this on foot, covering nearly 310 miles each time. On a daily basis, the birds commute about 15 miles.

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 Emu and Stork swim?

Emus are not regular swimmers. However, they can swim well if they have to with the help of their strong legs. They enjoy swimming and waters. They also like to bathe by rolling themselves in shallow waters and shaking up to remove water from their soaked feathers.

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

Mating patterns among Emu and Stork

Emus become sexually mature when they are 1.5 to two years old. During courtship, the male makes the first move by encircling the female with his dances and head movements. When the female accepts the proposal to mate, she strides around the male by making specific calls. The partners strut together, surround each other, dance together, tilt their heads bashfully, and flutter their feathers as part of mating. The female lays an egg per three to four days in the nest built by her partner. She generally lays 30-50 eggs each breeding season. The male incubates the eggs and takes care of the hatched chicks by feeding and protecting them.

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 Emu and Stork ?

Mating season for Emus occur during February-June although they start pairing in December and January.

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

Do Emu and Stork mate for life?

Emus are monogamous socially as they live with their partners most times of the year. However, after mating with a male and laying eggs at his nest, the female mates with new partners and lays multiple clutches of eggs at different nesting sites. During this time, her original partner carries out his duties of incubating the eggs and raising his chicks. For this reason, Emu symbolizes fatherhood in the folklore and culture of Australia.

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 Emu and Stork sleep?

Emus retire for the day after sunset. They lay down on the ground to sleep. While the younger birds stretch their neck perpendicular to the body, the adults generally fold the neck, resting it on their back. The eyes remain closed when the birds are in slumber. While asleep, Emus also arrange their feathers in a such way that if it rains, the water flows down. The birds do not sleep uninterruptedly until sunrise. They wake up once in about two hours for defecating and feeding.

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

Can Emu and Stork be eaten?

Emu meat is widely consumed and relished. It is considered to be rich in proteins, vitamin C, and iron. While it is illegal to capture Emus from the wild for their meat, rearing of the birds for meat and eggs is permitted.

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 Emu or Stork?

The laws in Australia do not allow hunting of Emus in the wild. However, culling of the birds on private properties under a licence is permitted.

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 Emu or Stork?

In captivity, such as breeding farms, Emus are fed with vegetables, insects, worms, and poultry feed.

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.