Stork travels 8,000 miles every year to be with female partner

Updated
Stork Travels 8,000 Miles Every Year To Be With Female Partner
Stork Travels 8,000 Miles Every Year To Be With Female Partner

A long love story continues between two storks in Croatia.

The Dodo is reporting that, for the 15th year in a row, the male Klepetan has returned to his partner Malena after his annual fall and winter migration to South Africa.

The only difference is that this year, he made his typical March arrival one week early.

According to Croatia Week, the pair met long ago and built their nest on top of a roof.

They used to migrate to Africa together, but Malena was grounded from making the 8,000-mile-long flight after her wing was injured by a hunter.

Since then, Klepetan returns to her and the bucket of fish provided by their caretaker each spring.

His loyalty is reportedly fairly typical of storks which tend to keep the same partner.

Related: Also see these fascinating ancient birds:

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