Note:

In inverno migra in Africa passando sopra l'Italia e popolando i corsi d'acqua che gli offrono anfibi e rettili di cui si ciba.

Tassonomia:

Domain: Eukaryota - Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
Kingdom: Animalia - C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
Subkingdom: Bilateria - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
Branch: Deuterostomia - Grobben, 1908
Infrakingdom: Chordonia - (Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
Phylum: Chordata - Bateson, 1885 - Chordates
Subphylum: Vertebrata - Cuvier, 1812
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata - auct. - Jawed Vertebrates
Superclass: Tetrapoda - Goodrich, 1930
Class: Sauropsida - Linnaeus, 1758
Subclass: Avialae - Gauthier, 1986
Infraclass: Aves - C. Linnaeus, 1758
Cohort: Neognathae - Pycraft, 1900
Superorder: Ciconiimorphae () - Garrod, 1874
Order: Ciconiiformes - Bonaparte, 1854
Suborder: Ciconiae - Bonaparte, 1854
Infraorder: Ciconiides
Parvorder: Ciconiida
Superfamily: Ciconioidea - Sundevall, 1836
Family: Ciconiidae - Sundevall, 1836
Subfamily: Ciconiinae
Tribe: Melieae
Genus: Ciconia- Brisson, 1760
Specific name: ciconia - (Linnaeus) 1758
Scientific name: - Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus) 1758