Chapter 642: Oriental White Stork's Quick Performance

"Although they usually appear aloof, once they fancy each other, Oriental White Storks will interact passionately.

The Oriental White Stork has two special techniques to woo a mate. The first is to stand tall and proud. The male has long, lanceolate feathers on the lower part of its front neck that stand erect during courtship, making it look like a well-dressed, high-class gentleman with a tie. Who wouldn't fall for such a charming and elegant figure?

The second technique is gentle probing. During courtship, the male stork gently pecks at the female's beak, face, and neck, expressing love in a soft manner. If the female is moved, she will tilt her head back and half-open her wings in response."

"Sounds so romantic!"

"Hahaha, truly a dominant CEO—cold to everyone else but gentle to the heroine!"

Fang Ye laughed, "Indeed, while the Oriental White Stork has this romantic novel setup, their love life is free of melodrama.

The Oriental White Stork practices monogamy and is very faithful in love. Once they form a pair, they stay together for life until one dies. Even if one dies, the other won't seek a new partner.

Most birds have the female incubate the eggs while the male finds food, but Oriental White Storks both incubate the eggs. Although the female primarily does it, they switch 2-4 times a day during the month-long incubation period. When raising chicks, they tirelessly gather food to feed them, and by the end of the rearing period, both the male and female storks are noticeably thinner."

"Wow, they're truly a divine couple in the animal kingdom!"

"Reminds me of when I visited the zoo and saw a mandarin duck mother alone with her many ducklings. Such a deadbeat dad, leaving after the kids were born."

At this moment, an Oriental White Stork suddenly lowered its head and raised its tail!

Its slender legs supported its body, forming a "T" shape.

"Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap..."

Its beak rapidly clattered, producing a somewhat muffled sound, like a woodpecker pecking wood.

While tapping its beak, it moved its feet and spun its body, looking around with sharp eyes.

Its head occasionally lifted and lowered.

"The bamboo clappers strike, and I won't boast about other things. Let's praise the delicious Tianjin Goubuli buns!

These Goubuli buns, what's so good about them? Thin skin, large filling, and eighteen pleats like a flower!"

As viewers watched the Oriental White Stork, they felt like they were watching a comic performer on stage, turning its head back and forth, "clattering" the bamboo clappers!

Suddenly, the Oriental White Stork raised its head sharply, threw its head back, and its nape touched its back, revealing a red patch under its beak.

At the same time, it lifted one leg, standing on one leg, and paused its tapping.

The head tilted further back, and as it reached the limit, the tapping resumed, starting slowly and then accelerating.

Its wings gently fluttered open, and its head snapped back to its original position.

"This describes the buns, but don't misuse it! Praising a girl's beauty, you can say she's like a flower, but don't say she looks like a bun!"

It then returned to its previous elegant and aloof posture.

Nearby visitors watched with wide eyes, stunned!

Realizing the Oriental White Stork had stopped, they quickly applauded!

Viewers were equally astonished!

"What was that?"

"It felt like it was performing a quick routine!"

"Hahaha, it was both funny and captivating!"

"Was that a courtship display?"

Fang Ye laughed, "The quick tapping is indeed an interesting behavior of the Oriental White Stork!

It's similar to owls clattering their beaks, primarily to warn off intruders.

When an Oriental White Stork detects an intruder in its territory, it rapidly clatters its beak, producing a 'tap-tap-tap' sound, while also shaking its head and tilting it back.

Besides being a warning, this behavior also appears during courtship, but it's not currently the breeding season for Oriental White Storks, which is from March to June."

"I see, but this behavior looks so goofy, it shatters their aloof image!"

"All cranes and storks look similar, but this tapping made me recognize it. My local zoo has this 'tap-tap-tap' bird, it must be an Oriental White Stork."

Walking further, they saw a small silver electric tower model in the exhibit.

An Oriental White Stork stood proudly atop the three-meter-high tower, looking into the distance.

A curious viewer asked, "Director, what's this? Why is there an electric tower here?"

Though it seemed out of place, they knew the zoo's designs were always purposeful.

This was similar to seeing raptors nesting on utility poles in Qinghai!

After returning, Fang Ye researched and placed utility pole designs in the Crane Pavilion and highland exhibit.

The zoo not only highlights the crises faced by animals but also the efforts made to protect them.

Compared to direct informational displays, having such facilities in front of visitors piques curiosity and is more impactful.

Of course, the electric tower was scaled down significantly.

Fang Ye explained, "Birds nesting on electric towers has always been a problem!

In recent years, due to habitat loss and the gradual disappearance of natural vegetation, wild birds like the Oriental White Stork, which rely heavily on tall trees for nesting, have had to choose artificial structures like electric towers.

This greatly increases the risk of collisions with power lines and puts pressure on the power system.

If insulators are heavily contaminated by bird droppings, they can cause line short circuits during rainy weather, leading to widespread power outages for residents and businesses. At the moment of the short circuit, the tower becomes electrified, posing a deadly threat to the storks."

Viewers were hearing this for the first time!

They had never considered how everyday conveniences affected animals.

They couldn't help but ask, "Isn't there a win-win solution?"

Fang Ye replied, "So, stork conservation experts and power department staff decided to install insulation boards and artificial nests. This way, the storks don't leave the towers, reducing the risk of nest abandonment and preventing insulator corrosion.

Practically, they don't disturb the birds before the chicks hatch, allowing the parents to incubate peacefully. Once the chicks hatch, they place multiple insulation boards under the nest. When the chicks can stand and their bond with the parents is stable, they move the nest with the chicks to the artificial nest below.

The protected Oriental White Stork chicks eventually grow up healthy and leave the nest.

This method is not only beneficial for Oriental White Storks but also for large migratory birds. We might see more artificial nests in various places in the future."

"These facilities are fantastic!"

"That's amazing!"

Fang Ye pondered, "Of course, protecting animals fundamentally requires protecting their habitats. How humans and animals coexist harmoniously is a question we need to continually explore in the future."