Breeding dispersal directions in the white stork (Ciconia ciconia) are affected by spring migration routes

We examined breeding dispersal directions in the white stork (Ciconia ciconia), a migratory bird breeding in large parts of Europe. We asked whether and how the direction of the major spring/autumn migration route (from south-east to north-west and vice versa) affects breeding dispersal directions. Breeding dispersal directions were clearly nonrandomly distributed and were influenced by the major spring migration direction, leading to a bias toward south-eastward and north-westward breeding dispersal.