The young stork that caused a stir a month ago by flying 6000 kilometers to hibernate is dead. It is unknown what caused the bird to die.
It concerns the stork Murshid, which was born this spring in the Zwin Nature Park, on the border of Zeeuws Vlaanderen and Belgium.
The nestling was immediately ringed and equipped with a transmitter, reports Broadcasting Zeeland. Scientists didn’t know what they saw when they discovered the transmitter and saw that the young stork had crossed the Sahara and had thus flown more than 6000 kilometers to arrive in Mali.
On garbage dumps
“The Sahara is a dangerous area for migratory birds, especially for young and inexperienced birds like Murshid, so it’s very special that he succeeded,” thus Ina De Wasch, director of the Zwin Nature Park.
The bird’s long journey is all the more striking because in recent years storks often just stay ‘home’ and hibernate here. If they do go on a trek, they don’t go far. De Wasch: “Most storks from northwestern Europe nowadays spend the winter on rubbish dumps in southern Spain and northern Morocco. There is enough food for the birds there.”
sad news
But a month after the crossing of the Zeeland stork, there is bad news. “Zenderooievaar Murshid died in Mali. The cause of death is still unknown,” said the nature park under the heading ‘Sad news’ on Instagram.
Over the past three years, a total of twelve stork cubs in the park have received a transmitter. Of those, five are still alive. The most common causes of death are electrocution, food shortages or extreme weather conditions, but in the case of Murshid there is no clarity about this (yet).
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