Rewilding group to assess possible return of white storks to London

A male white stork returns to its mate on their nest on the Knepp estate Sussex in April 2019. It was the first recorded instance of white storks nesting in the UK for several hundred years. Photograph: Nature Picture Library/Alamy

An urban rewilding group is seeking the public’s views on the potential return of white storks to London as part of a project to see if the birds could make a home in the capital.

White storks could once be seen flying in Britain’s skies and building their huge nests on roofs and in trees, but they disappeared centuries ago as a breeding bird as a result of hunting and habitat loss.