The stork population is increasing in Switzerland

Despite negative temperatures, many volunteers were there on January 4 until dusk to count the storks, Cigogne Suisse told Keystone-ATS on Saturday. The ground was sometimes still slightly snowy, making the storks barely visible.

According to figures from Cigogne Suisse, 48.1% of the population of nesting pairs are wintering in Switzerland this year. The previous winter, 912 storks remained in the country, or 47.5% of the then stork population. A peak was recorded during the winter of 2020/2021, when more than half of the storks spent the cold season in Switzerland.

In French-speaking Switzerland, 21 storks were reported in Bernex (GE), Cossonay (VD), Grandcour (VD) and Groy (VD). In Sugiez (FR) and the surrounding area, 157 storks were recorded, including 130 on a composting installation. This group probably spends its nights in the new dormitory in Charmey (FR), where up to more than 100 storks meet every night since mid-December.

Disappeared 75 years ago

Birds generally migrate at the onset of winter to warmer regions, because food becomes scarce when temperatures fall below zero. But due to the lack of snow or ice on waterways for several days or weeks in many regions, they now find enough snails, worms, mice and small fish even in winter. They can thus spare themselves an exhausting trip to Africa.

The presence of storks in Switzerland today is not self-evident. In the first half of the 20th century, their populations collapsed in many regions, including Switzerland. The correction of rivers and the drying of wetlands have deprived these wading birds of their habitat. In 1950, the white stork was finally considered extinct in Switzerland.

Shortly after their extinction, the first reintroduction projects saw the light of day. After hesitant beginnings, the stork population in Switzerland has experienced impressive growth since 2010: each year, around 10% more storks nest in Switzerland. In 2024, Cigogne Suisse counted for the first time more than a thousand pairs of white storks nesting in Switzerland, or 1081.