In the 19th century, the bow-and-arrow generation was sophisticated: the toughest recurve bows of the time could shoot an arrow over 400 meters and pierce armor at distances greater than those of a football field.

Never mind, however, how a Central African spire landed in the small northern German town of Klutz in 1822. To do this, we will have to turn to some other owner of the sky: the white stork.

Pfeilstorch, a German term meaning “arrow stork,” was the name given to a white stork that alighted in the town of Klutz in the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the spring of 1822. It came bearing a most unusual scientific gift–an arrow threaded through its neck, fixed well enough to withstand the 3,000+ mile migratory journey but sparing the stork its life due to the fact that the arrow pierced only the stork’s skin.

It was a “gift” to science because, up until this point, debate swirled as to how birds survived the winter.

In 1797, Thomas Bewick, an English artist and natural history author, hinted at the correct answer in his book, A History of British Birds–stating that a ship’s captain, whose opinion he held in high esteem, witnessed between the islands of Menorca and Majorca “great numbers of swallows flying northward.”

This stood in contrast to the spurious but widely held belief that swallows hibernated during winter months. Bewick even conducted experiments with swallows, attempting to keep them warm and fed during winter months, but concluded that, “they leave us when this country can no longer furnish them with a supply of their proper and natural food.”

The hibernation theory was not the only theory Bewick had to deal with. In 1703, a Harvard professor noticed that migratory birds were flying to and from the moon. Others believed that the birds hibernated underwater or, in some cases, metamorphosed into other birds.

These discussions were interrupted after the arrival of the Pfeilstorch in Germany. There is only one logical explanation for the African arrow: northward migration.

The Pfeilstorch was the first of a series of migratory birds that arrived in Europe with arrows in their skin. Ernst Schüz, a German ornithologist active in the early 20th century, recorded arrow-embedded birds several times. These included a white-bellied stork discovered in Tanganyika, a white-eared eagle in Hungary, a common vulture in Finland and a black kite. He also saw swans and eiders hit by Inuit arrows.

Later, Schüz observed that such sightings had become more rare due to the widespread shift from bows and arrows to firearms.

The white stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a migratory bird known for its long-distance movements between its breeding grounds and wintering grounds. These birds breed primarily in Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia, preferring open landscapes such as wetlands, grasslands, and agricultural fields.

During migration, they primarily follow two main routes: the eastern corridor, which takes them through the Balkans, Turkey, and the Middle East to wintering areas in East Africa, and the western corridor, which passes through the Iberian Peninsula and into western Africa.

Migratory routes of the white stork.

White storks cross giant bodies of water because they rely on thermal currents to glide in an energy-efficient way. This preference guides them towards land routes such as the Bosphorus in Türkiye and the Strait of Gibraltar. They begin their autumn migration from their breeding grounds between August and October, traveling up to 13,000 kilometers to reach their wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa. Spring migration begins between January and March, and storks return to their breeding grounds in May.

While many storks continue to follow these traditional routes, some populations in western Europe have adapted to milder winters and abundant food supplies by halting their migrations and overwintering closer to their breeding grounds. Despite their adaptability, migratory storks face challenges such as habitat loss, hunting, and climate change.

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