An urban rewilding organisation, Citizen Zoo, is seeking public views on the possibility of reintroducing white storks to London. The birds, once common in Britain, disappeared centuries ago due to hunting and habitat loss.
The group is conducting an appraisal to determine if the capital can become a "white stork-friendly city". This involves mapping suitable habitats, consulting boroughs, and surveying residents and frequent visitors about their attitudes towards the birds.
Elliot Newton, co-founder and director of rewilding at Citizen Zoo, said: "If you look across European landscapes, this is a bird that can actually thrive in urban landscapes. What we want to see is how we can make London a more white stork-friendly environment, and embrace it for its ability to inspire people about the nature we can and should have close to where we live."
The survey, led by Dr Rachel White from the University of Brighton, mirrors a national survey conducted as part of the White Stork Project in Sussex. That project has successfully created colonies of rehabilitated birds at Knepp and Wadhurst Park since 2016, with the first breeding success in 2020.
Conservationists note a sharp increase in white stork sightings in Greater London: from just 27 records in the four decades before 2016 to 472 sightings between 2016 and 2023. The assessment will inform potential next steps, such as creating more habitat to encourage natural colonisation or a formal release.
