Planckendael's stork colony welcomes 149 chicks
The stork colony at Planckendael zoo in Mechelen has grown by 149 chicks this year, according to figures released on Tuesday. While this is an impressive number, it falls short of a record year due to the particularly dry spring.
Belgium’s largest stork colony has been very active once again, building 106 nests and producing 99 eggs successfully. This represents a significant increase from the 71 nests recorded in 2024, setting a new all-time high for the park.
A total of 140 chicks were ringed to allow for future identification and monitoring. Nine chicks could not be ringed as their nests were inaccessible.
Impact of dry weather
The weather clearly impacted the survival rate of the chicks: with little rainfall, earthworms burrowed deeper into the hardened soil, making it more challenging for adult storks to find enough food for their young. However, Planckendael is in an area rich in wetlands and marshes, which provide alternative feeding grounds.
Storks returned to Planckendael in 1990, having vanished from Belgium for some time. The park played a key role in their reintroduction by releasing six birds into the wild. They migrated south for the winter but returned the following year.
In 1991, the zoo carried out its first chick ringing, marking 10 individuals. "Since then, the western migration route has come back into use, and we’re now even seeing birds arriving from Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden via the eastern route," said park spokesperson Amanda Wielemans. "This steadily growing group of storks returns to ZOO Planckendael each year."
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND
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