White Stork Population Hits Record High in Germany

Germany's white stork (Weißstorch) breeding population has risen dramatically, reaching about 15,000 pairs nationwide – roughly five times the numbers recorded in the 1980s when there were fewer than 3,000 pairs. The surge is most evident in Bavaria, where the count grew from just 58 breeding pairs in 1988 to over 1,600 in 2025, with expectations of a new record year.

Conservation actions such as restoring wetlands, creating nesting sites, and protecting feeding habitats have been credited for the rebound. Additionally, changing migration behaviour means many storks now winter in Spain, where abundant food from agricultural waste and landfill sites reduces the need to travel to Africa. Telemetry data shows some birds still take the traditional eastern route through Turkey and the Arabian Peninsula, while others use the western route to Spain.

The Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU) and the Landesbund für Vogelschutz (LBV) report that these measures have made the German stork population the strongest it has ever been, marking a successful turnaround from the severe declines of the late 20th century.