The Influence of Farmland Use Type on the Foraging of White Storks

Agricultural intensification has contributed to biodiversity decline across Europe, yet traditional landscapes in Central and Eastern Europe, still dominated by relatively extensive farmland practices, remain important for many species. We studied foraging habitat use of White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) in one of the largest breeding colonies in Poland, located in a region characterized by extensive agricultural management. Using generalized linear mixed models, we examined how habitat type, mowing frequency, and distance from the colony affected the number of foraging individuals and their mean foraging time. Pastures, intensively managed grasslands, arable land, and small ponds had significant positive effects on the number of foraging individuals, whereas wastelands and increasing distance from the breeding colony had negative effects. Mowing frequency significantly influenced stork abundance in a non-linear manner, with the highest numbers recorded in twice-mown areas. In contrast, mean foraging time was not affected by habitat type or mowing frequency but was consistently and positively related to distance from the breeding colony across all models, indicating longer foraging bouts at more distant sites. Both the number of individuals and mean foraging time increased significantly over the breeding season. Our findings confirm the key importance of pastures as foraging habitats for White Storks and highlight the role of heterogeneous landscape structure and temporally and spatially diversified management. These findings have practical implications for agri-environmental schemes aimed at supporting farmland biodiversity.