In Spain, storks' trash diet driven by climate change
The storks float and swoop in formation, circling over a landfill in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains north of Madrid. Then a garbage truck pulls up and disgorges its contents. One by one, they dive to ...
Europe's storks used to fly south to Africa's Sahel region to spend the winter, stopping off in Spain along the way. But with higher temperatures driven by human-caused climate change and abundant food available at open-air waste disposal sites, most adult storks no longer make the long and exhausting journey.
At Madrid's Colmenar Viejo landfill, around 100 trucks a day dump household waste into a crater that is then covered with sand by diggers. Hundreds of white storks have built nests up to six feet long on roofs and in the bell tower of the nearby church. There are even nests on streetlights.
"This is a stork paradise because they have grass, pastures and then the landfill, so they have it all here," said Alejandro López García, who is studying Madrid's stork population for his Ph.D. at Madrid's Complutense University.
Researchers found 36,217 of Europe's approximately 450,000 white storks in Spain in fall 2020, accordingto a census. That makes it the most popular host country for this breed on the continent, along with Poland. In the Madrid area alone, López García said, his working group recently counted 2,300 breeding pairs of birds, compared with just 200 registered in 1984.
A stork stands atop of a tree in Torrelaguna, on the outskirts of Madrid, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. Europe's storks used to fly south to Africa's Sahel region to spend the winter, stopping off in Spain along the way. But with higher temperatures driven by human-caused climate change and abundant food available at open-air waste disposal sites, most adult storks no longer make the long and exhausting journey. Credit: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
A stork rests in a nest in Rivas Vaciamadrid, on the outskirts of Madrid, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. Europe's storks used to fly south to Africa's Sahel region to spend the winter, stopping off in Spain along the way. But with higher temperatures driven by human-caused climate change and abundant food available at open-air waste disposal sites, most adult storks no longer make the long and exhausting journey. Credit: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
A stork rests in a nest in Torrelaguna, on the outskirts of Madrid, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. Europe's storks used to fly south to Africa's Sahel region to spend the winter, stopping off in Spain along the way. But with higher temperatures driven by human-caused climate change and abundant food available at open-air waste disposal sites, most adult storks no longer make the long and exhausting journey. Credit: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
A stork carries a tree branch for a nest in Torrelaguna, on the outskirts of Madrid, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. Europe's storks used to fly south to Africa's Sahel region to spend the winter, stopping off in Spain along the way. But with higher temperatures driven by human-caused climate change and abundant food available at open-air waste disposal sites, most adult storks no longer make the long and exhausting journey. Credit: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
A garbage truck drops trash in Colmenar Viejo landfill, on the outskirts of Madrid, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. Europe's storks used to fly south to Africa's Sahel region to spend the winter, stopping off in Spain along the way. But with higher temperatures driven by human-caused climate change and abundant food available at open-air waste disposal sites, most adult storks no longer make the long and exhausting journey. Credit: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
A stork flies in Soto del Real, on the outskirts of Madrid, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. Europe's storks used to fly south to Africa's Sahel region to spend the winter, stopping off in Spain along the way. But with higher temperatures driven by human-caused climate change and abundant food available at open-air waste disposal sites, most adult storks no longer make the long and exhausting journey. Credit: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
Storks fly in Rivas Vaciamadrid, on the outskirts of Madrid, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. Europe's storks used to fly south to Africa's Sahel region to spend the winter, stopping off in Spain along the way. But with higher temperatures driven by human-caused climate change and abundant food available at open-air waste disposal sites, most adult storks no longer make the long and exhausting journey. Credit: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
A stork stands on a tree in Soto del Real, on the outskirts of Madrid, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. Europe's storks used to fly south to Africa's Sahel region to spend the winter, stopping off in Spain along the way. But with higher temperatures driven by human-caused climate change and abundant food available at open-air waste disposal sites, most adult storks no longer make the long and exhausting journey. Credit: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
Storks gather in Soto del Real, on the outskirts of Madrid, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. Europe's storks used to fly south to Africa's Sahel region to spend the winter, stopping off in Spain along the way. But with higher temperatures driven by human-caused climate change and abundant food available at open-air waste disposal sites, most adult storks no longer make the long and exhausting journey. Credit: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
Storks gather atop an abandoned monastery in Torrelaguna, on the outskirts of Madrid, Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. Europe's storks used to fly south to Africa's Sahel region to spend the winter, stopping off in Spain along the way. But with higher temperatures driven by human-caused climate change and abundant food available at open-air waste disposal sites, most adult storks no longer make the long and exhausting journey. Credit: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
A stork stands on a tree in Soto del Real, on the outskirts of Madrid, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. Europe's storks used to fly south to Africa's Sahel region to spend the winter, stopping off in Spain along the way. But with higher temperatures driven by human-caused climate change and abundant food available at open-air waste disposal sites, most adult storks no longer make the long and exhausting journey. Credit: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
Storks gather atop a basilica during sunset in Colmenar Viejo, on the outskirts of Madrid, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. Europe's storks used to fly south to Africa's Sahel region to spend the winter, stopping off in Spain along the way. But with higher temperatures driven by human-caused climate change and abundant food available at open-air waste disposal sites, most adult storks no longer make the long and exhausting journey. Credit: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
A stork nest lies on the ground after falling from a tree in Soto del Real, on the outskirts of Madrid, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. Europe's storks used to fly south to Africa's Sahel region to spend the winter, stopping off in Spain along the way. But with higher temperatures driven by human-caused climate change and abundant food available at open-air waste disposal sites, most adult storks no longer make the long and exhausting journey. Credit: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue