According to traditional European legend, the stork delivers babies to their waiting families.
The association probably grew from several features of real storks. They often nest near human settlements, return to the same locations, and migrate away before returning in spring. Their seasonal arrival was linked symbolically with renewal, fertility, and new life.
The story became especially influential in European folklore and later in popular children’s literature. Illustrations commonly show a white stork carrying a swaddled baby in a cloth bundle, often suspended from its bill. Baby-shower decorations sometimes use this image, even when the event has no connection to European folklore.
The legend is not a biological explanation of childbirth. It is a cultural symbol, and different societies use other animals, spirits, or religious stories to represent the arrival of a child. The real birds belong to the family Ciconiidae.