Since only single pairs nest away from
people, White Stork population develop-
ment is closely related to countryside de-
velopment and changes in farming practices
and agricultural landscape. Intensification
of agriculture, resulting in decline of natu-
ral meadows and wetlands, expansion of
monocultures and increased use of chemi-
cals, deteriorated feeding conditions for
White Storks. After Lithuania regained its
independence, and small-scale farming was
re-established, favourable feeding condi-
tions for White Storks were restored, while
remaining farmsteads provided safe refuges
for rearing the young. As a result, White
Stork remained a common breeding spe-
cies in Lithuania, its abundance surprising
visitors from Western Europe, where these
birds have declined heavily or disappeared
altogether due to very intensive agriculture.
Furthermore, while this species was declin-
ing in other countries, in Lithuania it was
increasing.