FILE PHOTO: Hans Skou of Storks Denmark lifts a stork nestling in Ale, Denmark, July 19, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Withers/File Photo
(Corrects spelling of name in paragraph 5 to Skov)
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Once extinct in Denmark, the white stork is making a comeback with the highest number of nestlings in decades, sparking hope it may once again become a familiar sight in the Nordic country.
Thirty-three stork nestlings were born to 13 nesting pairs in the Danish countryside in 2025, up from 15 last year and the highest number since the 1980s, according to Storks Denmark, a volunteer group working to support the species' return.
The white stork population, once thriving with some 4,000 nesting pairs in Denmark in the late 19th century, saw a sharp decline due to the expansion of agriculture and the loss of wetlands, leading to its local extinction in 2008.
The population rebound is primarily attributed to changing migration patterns due to warmer weather and conservation efforts, though challenges remain.
"The way we have our agriculture is not leaving much space for the stork," said Hans Skov, a board member of Storks Denmark.
In Danish folklore, storks are associated with the arrival of spring and good fortune and having a nest on your roof was considered a protective charm for the household.
As climate change warms European winters, storks are increasingly wintering in Spain rather than South Africa, enhancing survival rates through shorter migration distances.
Denmark's Natural History Museum is tagging five additional nestlings this year with GPS devices to follow the storks' migration paths.
Storks migrating up to Germany are also pushing further north into Denmark but face challenges in finding sufficient food for their young.
Storks Denmark is spending around 30,000 Danish crowns ($4,700) annually to provide food, with nest owners supplementing by setting out chicken or fish daily to sustain the nestlings.
Grethe Mortensen, who gave her husband a stork nest for their backyard as a birthday gift in 2023, expressed optimism about the species' long-term prospects.
"I want them to keep coming here to Denmark ... and I hope that something is done for the storks so they can survive on their own," she said.
($1 = 6.3802 Danish crowns)
(Reporting by Ali Withers, writing by Stine Jacobsen, editing by Sharon Singleton)
