Emily Chan
A stork that went extinct 600 years ago in the United Kingdom was recently spotted flying through the skies over the English county of Cheshire. Thanks to efforts to reintroduce white storks in England from other populations, their numbers have been steadily growing.
The last pair of white storks disappeared just over 600 years ago. They were recorded nesting on the roof of St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh in 1416. A combination of hunting and habitat loss likely contributed to the species’ decline.
In addition, storks were also persecuted during the English Civil War for their association with rebellion. Evidence indicates that they were once widespread across Britain.
White storks often live close to people, building their nests on roofs and church towers. They enjoy watery areas, such as vast marshlands, rivers, and wet farmland.
In many farming areas, lots of worms, grasshoppers, frogs, snakes, and fish could be found, providing storks with an abundant supply of food. However, many of these types of habitats were vanishing in Britain, even in the 1400s.
Now, the birds are back and better than ever! The Warsaw Zoo donated storks to the White Stork Project of southern England. The project was established in 2016. The donated storks had been rescued after road accidents or encounters with power lines. Some of the birds live at the Cotswold Wildlife Park.
Every year, their offspring are taken to the Knepp Estate and Wadhurst Park in Sussex so they can be raised in a natural environment. That way, they can learn how to survive in the wilderness. Residents of Cheshire were excited to see the stork so far north.
“I thought it was a common crane at first, but after watching it for a while, I realized it was a white stork!” exclaimed Darren Banks, the land management officer at the Cheshire Wildlife Trust. “It was fantastic to witness it circling overhead with its incredible wingspan.”
White storks are large, standing at about 3.5 feet tall, with a wingspan of roughly five feet. They have white bodies, black wings, long, slender legs, and pointy, red beaks.
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