White Stork at the Hagenbeck Zoo, Hamburg (Germany)

The White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on the bird's wings. They sport a red, dagger-like bill which is used to forage in tall grasses and wetland environments. Their long, red legs help keep their bodies warm while wadding and foraging in water. Storks have held symbolic meaning in cultures around the globe for so long that we don't know how these beliefs originated. The myth of White Storks delivering babies likely originated in northern Europe. After wintering in Africa, storks return to Europe to breed in the spring, when many human couples who wed during the previous summer were welcoming babies of their own.

The Hagenbeck Zoo (Tierpark Hagenbeck) is a zoo in Stellingen, Hamburg, Germany. The collection began in 1863 with animals that belonged to Carl Hagenbeck Sr. (1810–1887), a fishmonger who became an amateur animal collector. The park itself was founded by Carl Hagenbeck Jr. (1844–1913) in 1907 and it is still operated and owned by the Hagenbeck family today. It is known for being the first zoo to use open enclosures surrounded by moats, rather than barred cages, to better approximate animals' natural environments. Over the years, the zoo has gained a good reputation for successfully breeding rare and endangered species such as the Asian Elephant and the Siberian Tiger.