Research links landfill diets to weight gain and DNA damage in European white storks

White storks that feed at European landfills gain more body mass and store more energy than birds that eat natural prey, according to research presented at the Society for Experimental Biology conference in Florence. The study focused on populations in Poland, where most storks still rely on fields and wetlands but some have begun using landfill sites more often over the past decade.

Researchers compared the two groups and found that landfill-feeding birds spend less time searching for food. Anustup Bandyopadhyay, a PhD student at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna who participated in the study, said the birds can redirect saved time and energy toward breeding.

Partners in Poland observed that landfill use peaks during the middle of the breeding season when nestlings require the most food.

Health effects under study The same research detected signs of DNA damage in landfill-fed chicks when they were about one week old. The sites also expose birds to plastics, wires, glass, and heavy metals mixed with food waste. Prof Aldina Franco, an ecologist at the University of East Anglia who was not part of the project, described landfill food as high-energy but low-quality.

She noted that while some individual birds may suffer from contaminants or disease, the added calories can support larger populations overall.

Changing migration and policy Landfill access has already altered migration patterns in western Europe, where some white stork populations have shifted from fully migratory to partially migratory or sedentary. Similar changes could occur in Poland if landfill food remains available.