Using Joomla

Colophon

The bird on the cover of Using Joomla is a white stork (Ciconia ciconia). According to legend believed to have originated in northern Germany, white storks are symbols of fertility and prosperity.

Found throughout Europe, the Middle East, and west-central Asia, white storks are long-necked wading birds, whose bodies are mostly white, except for their black flight feathers. Their bills and their legs are red. Nothing but size (males are slightly larger than females) distinguishes the sexes from each another.

Monogamous during the breeding season, couples build their nests together, although finding materials for them is primarily the males’ responsibility. Their nests are large and usually made up of twigs, grass, sod, and paper. They’ll often reuse their nests year after year, adding new material to them each breeding season. To signify the completion of the nest, many times they’ll plant a leafy branch on one of its sides. Since the Middle Ages, white storks have built their nests on man-made structures, including rooftops, chimneys, and telephone poles. Nests can also be found in trees and sometimes even on the ground.

Females usually lay between three and five eggs. Both parents are responsible for feeding their young until they reach eight or nine weeks and leave the nest, after which time, young are known to return to their parents’ nest to beg for food.

Their diets are quite varied and include frogs, fish, snakes, lizards, earthworms, crustaceans, and even sometimes the ...