Migratory white storks face high mortality during migration

Migratory white storks from Rhineland-Palatinate are facing significant challenges during their journey to wintering grounds. Out of 150 birds equipped with transmitter rings by the Bornheim Stork Center, 10 are confirmed dead.

Wolfgang Fiedler, head of the Center for Animal Marking at the Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Biology, noted that electrocution remains the most frequent cause of death. One notable case involves ‘Rocky’, a stork from Freinsheim that gained popularity via a live nest camera. The last signal from Rocky was detected on August 20 in the Spanish province of Zaragoza, where experts suspect the bird may have been killed by an electric shock on a utility pole, destroying both the bird and its transmitter.

In addition to mortality rates, researchers are observing unusual flight routes and the impact of an extremely hot summer on various bird species, including swifts.