White storks are being reintroduced to the UK after an absence of centuries. Managing reintroduced birds' welfare during establishment is critical to success.
Reintroduced white storks face the challenges of establishing in an unfamiliar landscape - finding food, avoiding power lines, and locating nesting sites. Power line electrocution and collision cause direct suffering and mortality. Conservation management that provides supplementary feeding and advocates for power line safety protects individual bird welfare during this vulnerable establishment phase.