Storks are large wading birds with robust bills and long legs. These tall carnivorous birds are well-known for their wide wingspans and also for building huge nests. However, they are often confused with several other bird types that have a similar appearance. So here’s a list of birds that look like storks to help you tell them apart.
Herons
Herons are tall predatory birds that feed on fish, crustaceans, and insects. Small amphibians, reptiles, and mammals are part of their diet too. They use their long dagger-like bills to help them grab or impale their prey. Herons can be found in both freshwater and saltwater habitats. While storks fly with their necks outstretched, herons fly with their S-shaped necks retracted which can help you to tell them apart in flight.
Egrets
Egrets not only look like storks but they also look like herons too. That’s because egrets are actually part of the heron family. While they have the same diet and physical build as herons egrets are usually white in color.
Many egrets also develop long feathers down their backs during the mating season. And it was for these plumes that several species were hunted in the past. The showy feathers were a popular fashion accessory for hats.
Cranes
Cranes are considered to be the tallest flying birds in the world. These birds have a wide-ranging diet. Not only are they predators which eat fish and small animals they also consume various types of plant material as well.
Leaves, seeds, roots, tubers, rhizomes, and acorns are eaten by cranes along with berries and grains. While cranes may look like storks with their long legs and long necks, unlike them they nest in shallow water and not in trees.
Ibises
Ibises are long-legged wading birds that all have distinct downward curving beaks. They generally feed on crustaceans along with small fish, aquatic animals, worms, and grubs. Ibises often feed in groups and use their curved beaks to probe the mud in search of food. Ibises usually nest in trees along with spoonbills or herons.
Spoonbills
Spoonbills can instantly be recognized by their spatulate beaks for which they get their name. They use their beaks to help them catch small fish, insects, and crustaceans as they move them from side to side in the water. Unlike other birds that look like storks, their beaks can actually sense the vibrations of prey in the water. Spoonbills normally nest in either reed beds or trees.
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