After spending the winter in Spain, famous marked stork "Max" has returned to her nest in Tüfingen, near Lake Constance, Germany on February 21th. Only to discover that her nest was occupied by an unknown male stork...
Quarreling and then flirting
Their cohabitation was difficult at first. After a while, however, Max started flirting with the non-banded newcomer (not her regular companion with whom she has had all her little ones since 2005) and was finally caught in the act of mating with him... A few days later, the master of the house came back to his nest. He ended the love affair within minutes by showing his muscles to his competitor.
Are storks unfaithful?
Males and females return to the same nest each year. Consequently, they mate together, which does give a sense of loyalty, but it is unclear whether storks recognize each other or if they are faithful to their nest.
This amorous escapade may have occurred because male storks usually return earlier than the females, in order to defend their nests. Max's partner, called "1124", has a habit of arriving late, though, which explains why another male succeeded in seducing his girlfriend...
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