BS migration

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Black storks - migration

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- the peak of autumn migration is in the second half of August

- the last autumn sightings occurred during the middle of September (Estonia)

- data suggest that two domestic factors might have a significant impact on their migratory success - body weight and longevity of stay in nest

- at least 80% of the black stork chicks perish even before they reach their wintering areas

- there is not evidence to suppose that juveniles travel together with their parents and or siblings

- black storks are mainly seen alone or in very small groups

- migration routes (flyway): western (via Gibraltar to Africa) - eastern (via Bosporus - Dardanelles or directly over the Sea of Marmara) and rarely southern flyway/Mediterranean flyway (via Italy or Greece and the Mediterranean Sea to Africa)

- stopover sites: important locations where birds pause between migratory flights to rest, refuel, and seek shelter

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bird’s flight - fly of the (white) storks

Searching for thermals

Flapping behaviour of thermalling storks

GPS data visualization of 27 storks thermalling elegantly in a thermal upwind. The flight path of each bird is color-coded based on its overall flapping activity from blue (low) to red (high).


by MaxPlanckSociety uploaded on 25.5.2018

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Efficient flyers lead the way

Travelling storks

GPS data visualization of 27 stork travelling between two thermals from the point of view of a follower. The flight path of each bird is color-coded based on its overall flapping activity from blue (low) to orange (high). Followers benefit from the thermal exploration of the leaders ahead, but spend more time in energetically costly flapping flight to keep up with the flock.


by MaxPlanckSociety uploaded on 25. 5. 2018

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Tour group with social structure

Behavioural strategies of storks while thermalling

GPS data visualization highlighting the two main behavioural strategies while thermalling: thermal exploration by a leader (blue), and use of that social information in exploiting the uplift by a follower (red).
Leaders are looking for the region of best updraft by flying in and out of the thermal thereby continuously varying their fly path. Followers benefit from that, because they can fly in the best region identified by the motion of the leaders. This allows
them to circle more regularly (video playback is 6x real time).


by MaxPlanckSociety uploaded on 25.5.2018

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The wisdom of the flock - The global journey of storks | Video Abstract

Scientific video abstract based on the study: From local collective behavior to global migratory patterns in white storks published in Science in 2018 Authors: Andrea Flack, Máté Nagy, Wolfgang Fiedler, Iain D. Couzin, Martin Wikelski


by Wildlife Messengers uploaded on 24.05.2018

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Describing wind conditions from thermal soaring of white storks

High-resolution GPS loggers were used to record the movements of juvenile white storks as they soared on currents of air that are warmed by the sun shining on the ground and then move upward in a spiraling column—this is called "thermal soaring". The purple dots visualize the wind speed and direction calculated based on the recorded movements of the birds as described in Weinzierl et al. (2016). The wind movement is scaled in this animation to show motion, and is proportional but not equal to the wind speed.

The stork tracks used to make this animation are stored at Movebank, an online database of animal tracking data (movebank.org) in the study "LifeTrack White Stork SWGermany 2014-2016" and are published in the Movebank Data Repository (doi:10.5441/001/1.bj96m274). The data are described and analyzed in Weinzierl R, Bohrer G, Kranstauber B, Fiedler W, Wikelski M, Flack A (2016) Wind estimation based on thermal soaring of birds. Ecology and Evolution 6(24): 8706–8718. doi:10.1002/ece3.2585

The animation was created by Matthias Berger (www.schaeuffelhut-berger.de). The software is Java/OpenGL code written Matthias Berger. The landscape background comes from the ASTER Global 30-m Digital Elevation Model. ASTER GDEM is a product of METI and NASA.


by Movebank uploaded on 18. 8. 2017