More and more European white storks feed at landfills. Scientists are concerned

On the one hand, birds get easily accessible food, gain weight faster, spend less energy searching for food, and can more successfully raise their chicks. This, according to researchers, may have been one of the reasons for the recovery of the white stork population in Europe after a period of significant decline in their numbers.

However, scientists warn that constant feeding at landfills can negatively affect the health of birds. Previously, storks annually migrated between Europe and Africa, but now some of them are increasingly staying closer to places where there is easy access to food waste. At landfills, they find meat scraps, fish, other human food, as well as insects, rodents, and worms. At the same time, birds come into contact with plastic, glass, wire, heavy metals, and other dangerous substances.

The study was conducted on a population of white storks in Poland. Scientists compared birds that regularly feed at landfills with those that continue to forage in their natural environment. It turned out that storks from landfills have a greater body mass and larger energy reserves. Because they spend less time searching for food, they have more energy left for reproduction and caring for their offspring. They visit landfills particularly often in the middle of the breeding season when chicks require the most food.

At the same time, researchers also discovered alarming signs. Chicks that were only about a week old already showed DNA damage, which may be related to their parents' feeding at landfills. This indicates that pollutants can affect the storks' organisms already in the earliest stages of development.

Scientists also believe that the constant availability of food at landfills changes the migratory behavior of storks. In the Iberian Peninsula, many birds that previously always flew to Africa for winter have now partially or completely abandoned long-distance migrations. This is facilitated by both a warmer climate and the possibility of finding food near landfills all year round.

Experts compare such feeding to fast food for humans. It is high in calories and easily accessible, but not always high-quality and safe. Storks can find meat scraps, fish, and other products at landfills, but along with them, they also get harmful substances that can cause diseases or other health problems.

However, scientists note that the complete closure of open landfills could also create new difficulties. The European Union is gradually restricting wild animals' access to waste dumps, and this could affect the number of storks, their migration, and breeding success, as part of the population has already adapted to this method of foraging.

Ecologists believe that this issue requires further study. On the one hand, access to landfills can harm the health of individual birds, but on the other hand, this food source has helped many populations recover after a significant decline in their numbers. Therefore, researchers call for careful assessment of the potential consequences of any changes in waste management systems to avoid harming white storks.

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