Bird: Wood Stork (Mycteria americana)

Length: 40"

Description: A very large white bird with long dark legs; pink feet. Head and neck are bald of feathers with dark, black and grayish skin. The bill is thick and curves down at the end. In flight, the back of the wings are dark, front part white. Head and neck have gray feathers on the juvenile and the bill is lighter.

Voice: Mostly quiet.

Feeding: Feed by wading in shallow water and probing with bill. Eats whatever small animals or fish it can find, including snakes and baby alligators.

Behavior at Wakodahatchee: The Wood Stork is an endangered species, and its range in America is largely limited to the state of Florida. Its numbers have been dramatically decreased by the destruction of the shallow wetland habitat that it needs to hunt for food. Large numbers of Wood Storks have been reported in Western Palm Beach county. Wood Storks are frequent and year-round visitors to Wakodahatchee, and breed in the area.

Al Liberman

Click here for more information on The Wood Stork from eNature.com

This flock of Wood Storks was photographed in late August. They stayed in Florida to breed during the summer. Wood Storks are easy to identify in flight. They are very big, and they fly with their bald head and neck outstretched. The entire back of the wing has a bold black stripe... distinguish them from Ibis which have black wing tips on white wings and fly in V-formations. Wood Storks are frequently seen riding up thermals in soaring loops.