130925-studie-wildlife-comeback-in-europe
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4.5. White stork<br />
Ciconia ciconia<br />
Summary<br />
Background<br />
Figure 1.<br />
Estimated number of<br />
White Stork breed<strong>in</strong>g<br />
pairs <strong>in</strong> Europe, <strong>in</strong><br />
the eastern and<br />
western populations,<br />
accord<strong>in</strong>g to<br />
International White<br />
Stork Censuses (dots),<br />
and trend <strong>in</strong> the<br />
PECBMS population<br />
<strong>in</strong>dex s<strong>in</strong>ce 1980 [19] .<br />
No. of breed<strong>in</strong>g pairs <strong>in</strong> Europe<br />
250,000<br />
200,000<br />
150,000<br />
100,000<br />
50,000<br />
0<br />
1934<br />
The White stork decl<strong>in</strong>ed until the mid-1980s due<br />
to poor feed<strong>in</strong>g conditions, caused by adverse<br />
climatic conditions <strong>in</strong> the w<strong>in</strong>ter<strong>in</strong>g areas <strong>in</strong> Africa<br />
and chang<strong>in</strong>g agricultural practices <strong>in</strong> Europe.<br />
The species has s<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>in</strong>creased <strong>in</strong> abundance and<br />
expanded its range. Improved food availability <strong>in</strong><br />
both breed<strong>in</strong>g and w<strong>in</strong>ter<strong>in</strong>g areas has contributed<br />
to this ongo<strong>in</strong>g recovery, while re<strong>in</strong>troduction<br />
projects have enabled recolonisation of breed<strong>in</strong>g<br />
areas. Changes <strong>in</strong> migration and feed<strong>in</strong>g strategies<br />
are driv<strong>in</strong>g the large <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> White storks <strong>in</strong><br />
southwestern Europe. Population changes <strong>in</strong> eastern<br />
Europe are less well understood and may be more<br />
dependent on conditions <strong>in</strong> the w<strong>in</strong>ter<strong>in</strong>g areas.<br />
500<br />
1958<br />
1974<br />
1984<br />
1995<br />
2005<br />
2010<br />
400<br />
300<br />
200<br />
100<br />
0<br />
Population <strong>in</strong>dex (%)<br />
General description of the species<br />
The White stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a large charismatic<br />
species with close associations to human<br />
culture, and is a flagship species for conservation<br />
<strong>in</strong> Europe [1] . It is a seasonal migrant to Europe,<br />
arriv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> early spr<strong>in</strong>g, nest<strong>in</strong>g from March to<br />
June [2] , and depart<strong>in</strong>g for Africa <strong>in</strong> August, although<br />
some south-western breeders now w<strong>in</strong>ter <strong>in</strong> Iberia.<br />
White storks feed on a variety of prey <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>in</strong>sects, amphibians, snakes, lizards, small birds,<br />
molluscs, crustaceans and small mammals [3] .<br />
Distribution <strong>in</strong> Europe<br />
The species is widely distributed, occurr<strong>in</strong>g<br />
throughout cont<strong>in</strong>ental Europe, with the majority<br />
of the breed<strong>in</strong>g population concentrated <strong>in</strong> eastern<br />
Europe [4] . The present distribution of the species<br />
reflects recolonisations and re<strong>in</strong>troductions <strong>in</strong><br />
countries where it became ext<strong>in</strong>ct <strong>in</strong> the past, as<br />
well as ongo<strong>in</strong>g eastward expansion <strong>in</strong> eastern<br />
Europe [5, 6] .<br />
Most authorities recognise two populations [7, 8] .<br />
Most birds from eastern Europe (eastern population)<br />
migrate to Africa via the Bosphorus and w<strong>in</strong>ter <strong>in</strong><br />
the eastern half of Africa, as far south as the Western<br />
Cape <strong>in</strong> South Africa. Birds from western and southwestern<br />
Europe (western population), enter Africa<br />
across the Straits of Gibraltar and w<strong>in</strong>ter <strong>in</strong> the<br />
northern tropics of West Africa [2, 5] .<br />
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