Once extinct in Denmark, the white stork is making a comeback, with the highest number of nestlings in decades, raising hopes it may 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 supporting the species’ return.
The white stork population, once thriving with some 4,000 nesting pairs in Denmark in the late 19th century, declined sharply due to the expansion of agriculture and the loss of wetlands, leading to its local extinction in 2008.
The recent rebound is attributed to warmer weather altering migration patterns and to conservation efforts, although 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 symbolize the arrival of spring and good fortune, with nests on rooftops once considered a protective charm for households.
As European winters grow warmer due to climate change, storks are increasingly wintering in Spain instead of South Africa, boosting survival rates by shortening migration distances.
Denmark’s Natural History Museum is tagging five additional nestlings this year with GPS devices to track migration routes.
Storks migrating north from Germany are moving further into Denmark, but struggle to find sufficient food for their young.
Storks Denmark spends around 30,000 Danish crowns ($4,700) annually to provide food, while nest owners supplement daily with chicken or fish.
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.
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