This species was never common in the Netherlands and, in fact, was reintroduced after disappearing entirely in 1991. It remains rare with only 528 breeding pairs found in the 2004/2005 census; but that is almost double the 282 pairs counted in 1995. In many areas man-made nesting platforms have been erected. One such nest platform is in Vondelpark where five large young were visible on my visit. This was exceptional as the average reproductive success for this species is less than two. The population of White Storks declined seriously during much of the twentieth century largely because of destruction of wetland habitat for agriculture. However they have largely recovered in recent years because of improved land use policies, particularly in Spain and eastern Europe.
Bottom bird is an adult showing an intense red bill. The gular skin is black but becomes orange-red near feathers of chin flushed pink on this individual. Currently two subspecies are recognized. This is the nominate race which ranges through much of Europe, the Near East and parts of North Africa and winters in sub-Saharan Africa. Another thicker-billed, slightly larger race breeds in Turkestan and winters in India. The White Stork was formerly lumped with the larger, darker-billed Oriental Stork (C. boyciana) of the Russian Far East and China.
Canon SX50 HS PowerShot
Reference:
Elliott, A., Garcia, E.F.J. & Boesman, P. (2018). White Stork (Ciconia ciconia). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/52744 on 23 August 2018).
Preliminary Results of the VI International White Stork Census 2004/05 (PDF). Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU). Archived from the original PDF on 12 August 2011.
Wikipedia contributors. (2018, August 5). White stork. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 22, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White_stork&oldid=853490809