First breeding evidence of a black stork in Switzerland

Switzerland has a new breeding bird species: the black stork (Ciconia nigra). Biologist Lionel Maumary discovered a nest of this rare bird species in the canton of Vaud at the beginning of June. The breeding pair is currently rearing three young birds, which are around two weeks old.

"For me, this discovery marks the end of nine years of unsuccessful searching," wrote Maumary, President of the Lausanne Ornithological Circle, on the oiseaux.ch platform. The newspaper "24 Heures" had previously reported on the discovery.

Ornithologists have suspected since 2018 that the black stork breeds in the forests of the canton of Vaud and in north-eastern Switzerland. However, definitive proof was only found on May 15, 2026, when an adult bird flew into the edge of a forest in the canton of Vaud.

Maumary only discovered the nest itself three weeks later, on June 7. For reasons of species protection, its exact location is not disclosed.

The black stork breeds on the Iberian Peninsula and in a range that extends from Central Europe to China and Korea. It prefers extensive, undisturbed deciduous and mixed forests with rivers, clearings, ponds and lakes. Its diet consists mainly of aquatic insects, small fish and amphibians.

With the confirmed breeding record, the black stork is now officially one of Switzerland's breeding bird species.