Biology White Stork Ciconia ciconia Storks are migratory birds, spending the winter season in Africa and returning in early spring to their breeding grounds in Europe. Austrian storks travel over eastern Europe and the Posporus, where as storks from western Europe fly by Gibraltar.
Storks usually associate and breed in colonies, often on rooftops or chimneys of human buildings.
However, storks in the Nature-Reserve Marchegg nest on old oaktrees in the floodplain forests of the river March. The young hatch after a 33-34 days, and fledge within two months. By the end of august the young birds leave for Africa, their parents following a few weeks later. Storks feed mainly on frogs, insects, small fish and mammals, which they capture in the rich meadows of the March. The White Stork is endangered throughout Europe.