White stork population in Bulgaria rises by a third – census

The population of white storks in Bulgaria has increased by 33% in recent years, according to data from the 8th International White Stork Census, cited by BGNES.

The survey recorded 9,527 nests across the country, 7,749 of which were occupied by breeding pairs. The previous census, conducted in 2014, recorded 6,981 nests, 5,825 of which were active. Over the latest period, 17,530 chicks were successfully reared.

"These are very positive results – the white stork population in Bulgaria has grown by one-third in ten years. This shows that conservation measures, including installing safe nesting platforms on electricity poles, are having an impact,' said Svilen Cheshmedzhiev, national coordinator of the census and a member of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds.

The white stork is considered an indicator species for the state of the environment because it typically nests in close proximity to human settlements.