JAKARTA – Having been declared extinct in Denmark, the white crane returned with the highest number of birds in decades, sparking hopes that the bird will return to become a common sight in the Nordic country.
Thirty-three crane cubs were born from 13 pairs nestled in rural Denmark in 2025, up from 15 years ago and the highest number since the 1980s, according to the Danish Storks, a group of volunteers working to support the species’ return.
The population of white cranes, which once developed rapidly with about 4,000 pairs nested in Denmark in the late 19th century, experienced a sharp decline due to agricultural expansion and the loss of wetland, which led to its local extinction in 2008.
This population increase was mainly due to changes in migration patterns due to warmer weather and conservation efforts, although challenges remain.
“The way we farm doesn’t leave much space for the cranes,” Hans Skov, a member of the Danish Storks board, told Reuters July 24.
In Danish folklore, cranes are associated with the arrival of spring and luck. Having this bird’s nest on the roof is considered a protective mandate for households.
As climate change warms winter in Europe, cranes are increasingly spending the winter in Spain rather than in South Africa, thereby increasing survival rates through shorter migration distances.
The Danish Natural History Museum marked five additional crane cubs this year with GPS devices to track their migration path.
Bangau which migrated to Germany also moved further north to Denmark, but faced challenges in finding enough food for its children.
Danish Storks spend about 30,000 Danish krones per year providing food, with nest owners adding them by providing chickens or fish every day to support birds.
Grethe Mortensen, which provides her husband a crane nest in the backyard as a birthday present in 2023, expressed his optimism about the species’ long-term prospects.
“I want them to continue to come to Denmark and I hope something is done for those cranes so that they can survive alone,” he said.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language.
(system supported by DigitalSiber.id)