Harper Adams student researching reintroduction of storks to Britain

Farmers, landowners, and members of the public are being canvassed on whether storks should be reintroduced across Britain.

Ornithologist and Harper Adams University student Sophie Rabone is researching bringing the historically native birds back after their disappearance in the 1400s due to over-hunting and habitat loss.

Some breeding populations have been introduced at selected sites, and Rabone is looking into the feasibility of a large-scale reintroduction.

“As a species historically native to Britain and closely associated with the wetlands and farmland that have suffered most, its return signals a recovering landscape that benefits countless other species alongside it,” she said.