Storks Deliver Babies Because of a Coincidence
A stork is a long-legged wading bird. The baby-delivery legend has a traceable origin in northern European folklore.
A stork is a large long-legged wading bird with a long straight bill. The legend that storks bring babies grew from northern European folklore and one convenient coincidence: white storks return to their nests in spring, roughly nine months after midsummer festivals. Storks also nest on chimneys, which put them literally on top of the house. Storks have no syrinx and are effectively voiceless; they communicate by clattering their bills loudly.
- A wading bird. *A white stork.*
- The baby legend. *The stork brought him.*
- Bill-clattering — how they communicate. *Clattering.*
- Chimney nests — a traditional habit. *Nesting on roofs.*
- Old English — *storc*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | stork | A stork. |
| Plural | storks | Storks. |
| Species | white stork | The white stork. |
| Old English | storc | A stork. |
| German | Storch | A stork. |
- A stork nested on the chimney.Behaviour.
- Storks are voiceless.Biology.
- The legend is northern European.Folklore.
Why the legend stuck
- White storks return in spring, about nine months after midsummer
- They nest on chimneys, associating them with the household
- They are famously devoted to their nests and returning partners
- Hans Christian Andersen wrote a story that spread the tale widely
- It gave adults an easy answer to a difficult question
Old English *storc*, of Germanic origin, possibly related to a root meaning stiff, from the bird's upright stance.
Why are storks said to bring babies?
From northern European folklore, helped by the fact that white storks return in spring about nine months after midsummer, and nest on chimneys.
Do storks make any sound?
Very little. They lack a syrinx and communicate mainly by clattering their bills loudly.