Black stork

Unlike the closely related white stork, the black stork (Ciconia nigra) is shy and avoids contact with people.

Bravo Sandor. Despite being very wary, you made an excellent portrait of this beautiful stork with iridescent plumage, ciao Giangiorgio

Thank you, Giangiorgio, for viewing and the nice comment, ciao Sandor

What a neat looking bird, Sandor. Very regal with wonderful colors and pose. Really stands out against the background. Best regards, Paul.

Thank you, Paul, for the kind note. Best regards, Sandor

Marvelous shot, Sandor! The pose of the black stork and its delightful plumage are remarkably captured! Bravo! Sincerely, Tatiana

Thank you, Tatiana, for the kind note. Best regards, Sandor

Hi Sandor,

 

a fine photo of this stork, with good detail and natural colors, showing that what we call 'black' is actually purple and green. The background is blurry enough to not distract. Do you have these storks in your region or have you shot this on a holiday trip? Kind regards, Vincent

Hi, Vincent. Thank you for watching. I believe, though I am not an expert, that the black color is produced by pigments (melanins). The purple and green are iridescent colors due to light refraction caused by the structure of the feather. Since iridescent colors depend on the angle of incidence it can be quite different or even disappear if you move just a couple of steps away or the bird moves, just like the case with male mallards, for example, where the color of its head and neck can change between deep blue and green as it moves. The black stork is widespread throughout Eurasia and Africa though an uncommon species. It is breeding in much of Europe except Scandinavia and the Western region. Kind regards, Sandor

Perfect. it can be used as an example of how to do. Regards Derek.