# What Do White Storks Eat?

> What white storks eat: Carnivore — frogs, insects, rodents, and fish, foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Wet meadows, farmland, and wetlands across Eurasia.

- **Species:** White Stork (*Ciconia ciconia*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Carnivore — frogs, insects, rodents, and fish
- **Habitat:** Wet meadows, farmland, and wetlands across Eurasia
- **Lifespan:** 20–25 years in the wild
- **Top speed:** Up to 45 km/h (28 mph) soaring on thermals
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/stork/what-do-stork-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/stork/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The white stork is a tall, long-legged wading bird of wet meadows, farmland, and wetlands across Eurasia, instantly recognisable by its white plumage, black wing tips, and bright red bill and legs. Standing over a metre tall and weighing up to about 4.5 kg, it is a powerful soaring migrant that winters in Africa. It feeds on frogs, insects, rodents, and fish, and can live 20 to 25 years in the wild.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## Appearance and flight

The white stork is a striking bird with snow-white body feathers, black flight feathers, and a long, straight red bill matched by long red legs. It stands well over a metre tall with a wingspan approaching two metres, yet in the air it is graceful, soaring on broad wings with its neck outstretched and legs trailing behind. Rather than flap continuously, storks ride rising columns of warm air called thermals, gliding for long distances to save energy. On thermals they cruise at around 45 km/h.

## Help protect the White Stork

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

---
Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/stork/what-do-stork-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.