Citizen Zoo to map habitats in the capital and consult boroughs and the public about reintroduction of the birds
An urban rewilding group is seeking the public’s views on the potential return of white storks to London as part of a project to see if the birds could make a home in the capital.
White storks could once be seen flying in Britain’s skies and building their huge nests on roofs and in trees, but they disappeared centuries ago as a breeding bird as a result of hunting and habitat loss.
Citizen Zoo, an organisation that specialises in community-led urban rewilding, is conducting an appraisal on making London a “white stork-friendly city”. It will include habitat mapping, contacting boroughs across the capital to gauge their interest and surveying the public about the birds.
The White Stork Project in Sussex has sought to create new colonies of rehabilitated injured birds at Knepp and Wadhurst Park since 2016. These can act as a “magnet” for wild birds that visit from the continent, and the project’s first breeding success was in 2020.
