FAMILY CICONIIDAE

• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

• Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

• Birds (Class Aves)

• Storks (Order Ciconiiformes)

• Storks (Family Ciconiidae)

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Family Ciconiidae is the stork family, a group of large, long-legged wading birds. Storks are characterized by their long necks, sturdy bodies, broad wings, and long, pointed bills adapted for capturing a variety of prey. They inhabit wetlands, marshes, floodplains, grasslands, agricultural fields, and savannas, where they feed on fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, crustaceans, and small mammals. Unlike many other large wading birds, storks generally lack a well-developed vocal organ (syrinx) and are mostly silent, communicating instead through visual displays and bill-clattering.