Identifying an individual stork (plumage variation) (1 Viewer)

[Henry_Flower]

Hello,
Is it feasible to indentify an individual white stork from its appearance? I'd be interested to know whether the one I've seen this year is the same as last year's, but I don't know how variable their plumage is from year to year.

On the left is last year's bird. Other angles could be obtained if it would help.

In terms of behaviour, this year's is peacefully hanging out with the (ringed) female from last year; no other storks have returned here yet.

Thanks for any help you can give me!

 

[MTem]

I'd say it depends on the species moult timing and sequence, and the time (and hence feathers replaced in the interim)...... and even then it's going to be a question of likelihood rather than certainty.

Plumage idiosyncrasies (retained juvenile, missing or damaged feathers) are often used to try to ascertain if a rare vagrant seen in one location is likely the same bird as the same species seen just before or after elsewhere, but it is clearly not an exact science. Several species - Bewick's swans' yellow bill markings for example - seem to exhibit unique and hence positive ID characteristics on bare parts, but I don't know of any plumage examples. I do not know of any studies that show a plumage abnormality in one set of feathers will necessarily be repeated in the next cycle. Intuitively it seems more likely that they won't unless there is some underlying physical abnormality.

So in summary as your stork will have moulted in the interim plumage traits will be no guide to its ID. Characteristics of its bare parts are more useful perhaps, and it's behaviour might well be another indicator. But I'd say you will never be certain unless it is ringed.

In this case you can be sure of the same female for this reason, and White storks do tend to be faithful to the same mate as long as the mate survives, so there would appear to be a reasonable prime face case to say this is the same mate ...... but it might also be a replacement!

Mick

 

[Henry_Flower]

Thanks, that's very helpful! I would like it to be our old friend, so I'll take "a reasonable case".