HAVE TM VAN DER & JONKERS DA (1996) Seven misunderstandings about White Storks Ciconia ciconia in The Netherlands. LIMOSA 69 (2): 47-50.

Popular misunderstandings have evolved about status and biology of the White Stork in the Netherlands. This is due to the species' disappearance as a regular breeder and to the reintroduction project of the Dutch Society for Protection of Birds. Seven of these misunderstandings are the following. (I) Wild White Storks are extinct in the Netherlands wild storks still breed in the Netherlands and are not extinct. (2) Project storks do not migrate; all first-year White Storks leave the breeding grounds on migration. (3) All ringed White Storks are project storks; not all ringed Storks are from the reintroduction project. (4) Unringed White Storks are wild; some offspring of projectstorks remain unringed because of inaccessible nesting sites. (5) Dutch White Storks wintered in West Africa exclusively; the original Dutch population wintered in West Africa ('west' population) as well as in East to South Africa ('east' population). (6) Wild storks fly high, project storks fly low; altitude of flight of a White Stork does not indicate its status. (7) White Storks eat frogs; nowadays, earthworms is the staple food of Dutch White Storks and frogs are taken infrequently. White Storks became almost extinct due to a combination of factors. Breeding success decreased as a result of intensification of agriculture, lowering of water tables and land consolidation. This negatively affected diversity, availability and quality of preys. Recruitment decreased due to adverse conditions in African wintering areas (drought, insect pest control). Survival rates decreased due to collisions with power lines and electrocution in Europe, and hunting during migration and in Africa. The prospects of an independent and sustainable population of White Storks in The Netherlands are uncertain. Study is needed to estimate if the recruitment rate of first breeders compensates for losses among migrating adult White Storks. White Stork Ciconia ciconia

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