BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Who can blame someone for wanting to eat some junk food once in a while? It may not be the best source of nutrients, but it keeps your spirits up. The same thing goes for birds. Recently a team of scientists from the University of East Anglia has discovered that storks prefer to stay in for the winter in order to feast on the delicious dumpsters.

As we know, there are certain species of birds called migratory birds, which choose to take a hike at the beginning of winter in order to secure their food.

Storks can be counted among migratory birds. With their stick-like legs and pointy beak, these feathered creatures, traditionally associated with birth and fertility, have the habit of ditching their nests at the beginning of winter, in order to migrate to warmer lands, more specifically to Africa.

Now, everyone knows that at the turn of winter, the amusing birds began their perilous journeys towards the warmer fields of Africa. But it would seem that the laws of Mother Nature are not immovable.

A team of researchers from the University of East Anglia have discovered that many storks nesting in Europe have decided that the annual trip to Africa is too much of a nuisance. Furthermore, these seemingly rebellious birds have ditched the old ways in order to feast on the garbage pits.

The team of scientists have tracked a group of 48 storks between 2012 and 2014 in order to see how their habits changed. The funny-looking birds were caught, sedated and outfitted with a tracking device which features a GPS and an accelerometer.

This way, the team could pinpoint the exact location of birds and to make other determination. During the experiment, the scientists have discovered that when the right time comes, the storks from Europe prefer to remain in Portugal for the winter, rather than making the journey to Africa.

It’s quite natural for birds to perform a quick pit stop, considering the fact that Portugal is a mid-way point between Europe and Africa, but the birds seemed to have formed of habit of staying instead of going.

Moreover, over the years, the researchers have determined that the storks have developed a habit of constructing their nest around dumpsters and landfills. Tracking the stork activity around five different landfills, the researchers have discovered that the birds were there to stay.

And it’s only natural, come to think of it because the whole point of the African migration is to secure food sources. Why should a bird leave after it stumbled about a bounty of delicious goodies?

Although the approach isn’t entirely new, this is the first one to prove that storks are actually erecting nests around dumpsters and landfills.

Photo credits:pixabay