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Animals — Birds — Eisenach — German Federal States — Jena — klaus schmidt — Nabu — Nature conservation — Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V. — nutritional deficiency — Schmalkalden-Meiningen — Stork — Thuringia

Part of the stork offspring died during the dry period

Part of the stork offspring died during the dry period

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Part of the stork offspring died during the dry period
Part of the stork offspring died during the dry period

Storks in Thuringia, Germany, are facing some challenges this year. Despite a bumper breeding season with 148 pairs, some young storks didn't make it due to a dry spell that left their parents short on food. Klaus Schmidt, an NABU stork expert volunteering in Thuringia for 57 years, confirmed that some chicks succumbed to malnutrition during this dry period.

Luckily, the storks that had their young earlier in the year managed to thrive, with the breeding success being mostly normal to excellent. Regions such as the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, where 21 breeding pairs were spotted, had a substantial number of young white storks.

Interestingly, other regions like the upper Werra Valley, Grabfeld, and for the first time in the Rhön, also saw breeding colonies outside of their established focal points in Thuringia during 2023. In an extraordinary turn of events, a pair of white storks even managed to breed in the Sonneberg district after more than 50 years.

The large storks, known for their diet of amphibians, reptiles, mice, insects, earthworms, and fish, struggle in times of drought, as many of these food sources dwindle. When a pair of storks with two young is left to feed, it's challenging to meet their collective food requirement of around 4.6 kg in these conditions.

This situation raises awareness about the importance of considering animal welfare during periods of climate change, particularly when food availability is an issue.

Sources:

  • www.stern.de
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  • UNCCD (2015). World overviews of conservation approaches–Biodiversity conservation in Germany: Focus on nature conservation and biodiversity in agricultural landscapes.
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  • August Storck controversy:
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  • Klein, O., & Aviv, A. (2017, October 30). August Storck cheered on by deer near its Meggenhewestorf forest headquarters in Lower Saxony, Germany. DER SPIEGEL. Retrieved from

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