Ogre Municipality (Vidzeme Region)

[marika.solo]

June 23
22 -22-20 days old

https://forums.dabasdati.lv/viewtopic.p ... 22#p455722

June 24
23 -23-21 days old

https://forums.dabasdati.lv/viewtopic.p ... 71#p455871

firmly standing https://up.picr.de/51034780yi.png (by Triine)

June 25
24 -24-22 days old

https://forums.dabasdati.lv/viewtopic.p ... 32#p456032

19:41 Meija grabbed the heads of all 3 chicks with her bill... first one of them.

[marika.solo]

June 26
Hello everyone

Meija is attacking her chicks.

It is always a hard decision for adult storks – they need to raise strong storklets and they need to eat enough for themselves.

[marika.solo]

[marika.solo]

Prepared with help of AI (long "communication")

Based on the observed behaviour of the female (drooping wings, hunched posture, two evenings without feeding the chicks, and chaotic, non‑selective aggression towards them), the situation can be explained by a combination of two biological factors.

1. Acute energy and food shortage

After the amphibian spawning period, frogs move from shallow, open areas into deeper water or dense vegetation. For Black Storks, this means a sudden decrease in accessible prey. During hot weather and when foraging sites dry out, hunting success can drop sharply.

Chicks around one month old have very high energy demands. If the female cannot meet even her own basic metabolic needs (which may be further affected by her previous bill injury), she can reach a state of extreme exhaustion.

Signs: drooping wings, hunched posture, general weakness.

2. Hormonal collapse of parental behaviour

Severe physical stress and hunger activate the HPA stress axis. This causes:

- a sharp rise in corticosterone (the main stress hormone),
- a drop in prolactin, the hormone that maintains parental behaviour.

When prolactin falls below a critical level, the parental instinct switches off and self‑preservation takes priority.

Signs: the female stops responding to begging calls and may show chaotic, non‑purposeful aggression.
This is not a case of intentional brood reduction. It is a stress reaction of an exhausted adult that can no longer cope with the pressure from large, demanding chicks.

Summary
The behaviour is unusual, but it is biologically understandable.
The most likely cause is a combination of:

- acute lack of food,
- severe physical exhaustion,
- hormonal shutdown of parental behaviour.

[marika.solo]

[marika.solo]

Meija is clearly fighting at the absolute limit of her physical capabilities. The fact that she managed to regurgitate some food for the chicks before the subsequent attack proves that her parental instinct has not entirely died out; however, it is immediately overridden by exhaustion and possibly pain.
The massive loss of feathers and poor quality of the flight feathers during this demanding provisioning phase, as mentioned in the chat, confirm acute metabolic stress. The female's body is likely in a deep energy deficit. The poor condition of her plumage severely compromises her flight capability and foraging efficiency (aerodynamics).

[marika.solo]

Ringing is planned for tomorrow morning.

youtube chat - 7:12 PM@Trīne.11
Sazinājos ar J.Ķuzi.Rīt priekšpusdienā plānota gredzenošana.MS izvērtēs situāciju uz vietas.

(I contacted J.Ķuze. Ringing is planned for tomorrow morning. Maris Strazds will assess the situation on site.)