Birds stop migrating as rubbish dumps provide winter feeding grounds

For some birds, feeding at waste sites seems preferable to long migrations to warmer climates, but researchers warn of risks to ecosystems and health

It ranks as one of the more uncomfortable impacts that humans have on wildlife. Massive rubbish dumps and sprawling landfills have led some birds to give up on migration. Instead of flying thousands of miles in search of food, they make the waste sites their winter feeding grounds.

Researchers in Germany used miniature GPS tags to track the migrations of 70 white storks from different sites across Europe and Asia during the first five months of their lives. While many birds travelled along well-known routes to warmer climates, others stopped short and spent the winter on landfills, feeding on food waste, and the multitudes of insects that thrive on the dumps.