Storks were breeding birds commonly found in Britain until human activities affecting their habitat caused numbers to dwindle. The birds eventually became extinct there more than 600 years ago, but now the town of Storrington in West Sussex and the nearby Knepp estate have officially become the UK’s first ‘European Stork Village’ as storks have returned once again. 

The area joins a feathery club of 15 stork-friendly villages across Europe, all known for their work in protecting and limiting the impact of habitat loss on these long-legged, orange-beaked birds. 

The White Stork Project began in 2016 with a group of storks that could no longer fly. The birds were brought over from Poland and kept in a safe enclosure at Knepp, complete with everything they need, including a pond and meadow for foraging. Over time, more UK-bred storks joined them and they were released into the wild once they got used to their new surroundings.  

At the end of 2024, breeding numbers saw egg-straordinary results with 27 nests and 53 baby storks, doubling the previous year’s numbers. Some storks nested in towering oak trees, while others preferred cosier spots on the ground. Many of the free-flying storks are now migrating to warmer climates during the winter months before returning to Sussex to nest. 

Each year, over a thousand schoolchildren visit Knepp to learn about storks and the rewilding process. This year, a webcam is also streaming one of the 15 nests already recorded this breeding season, which is expected to break another nesting record.  

"Protecting white storks means improving the quality of habitat, which benefits many different species," Laura Vaughan-Hirsch, project manager for the White Stork Project told Newsround. 

"We also hope the stork will help communities to connect with each other, not just across counties in the UK, but over counties and even continents." 

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