White storks released in wild ... so they can bring babies

WHITE storks have been released in the wild in the hope they will breed in Britain for the first time in centuries.

The birds were hunted to extinction in medieval times – but now 24 juveniles are flourishing and have flown around the UK after being released at the Knepp rewilding project in West Sussex on August 12.

Eight have GPS tags and one has travelled as far as the Hayle Estuary in Cornwall, pictured. The birds, part of the White Stork Project, are the first of 50 breeding pairs set to be released by 2030. They can live for 30 years and have a 7ft wingspan.

The 24 juveniles have brightly coloured rings on their legs, and people are encouraged to report sightings to the project’s website or on Twitter, to help scientists understand their movements.

It is hoped that in the next few weeks some will migrate across the Sahara to West Africa, flying at an altitude of 16,000ft. Lucy Groves – from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, which is taking part in the project – said: ‘We have had reports from East Sussex, Southampton, Dorset and Penzance, where the birds wowed holidaymakers over the August bank holiday.’

Storks build huge nests in tall trees and towers, and were once all over the UK – with the last breeding nest recorded in St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh in 1416. They were often the centrepiece of medieval banquets, and can be found in folklore carrying newborn babies in a swaddle under their beaks.