Wood Stork

The wood stork is a large, long-legged wading bird, about 5O inches (85-155 cm) tall, with a wingspan of 60 to 65 inches (150-165 cm). The plumage is white except for black primaries, secondaries, and a short tail with greenish and purplish sheen. The head and neck are unfeathered, scaly and dark gray in color. The bill is black, long and thick at the base, and slightly decurved. Immature birds are dingy gray and have a yellowish bill. Sexes are similar in appearance. They eat small fish from 1 to 6 inches long, especially topminnows and sunfish.  Wood storks capture their prey by grope-feeding (capturing food by feel). Feeding often occurs in water 6 to 1O inches deep, where a stork probes with the bill partly open. When a fish touches the bill it quickly snaps shut. The average response time of this reflex is 25 milliseconds, making it one of the fastest reflexes known in vertebrates. Wood storks use thermals to soar as far as 80 miles from nesting to feeding areas. Nesting periods vary geographically. In South Florida, wood storks lay eggs as early as October and fledge in February or March. However, in north and central Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, storks lay eggs from March to late May, with fledging occurring in July and August. Nests are frequently located in the upper branches of large cypress trees or in mangroves on islands. Several nests are usually located in each tree. Wood storks have also nested in man-made structures. Storks lay two to five eggs, and average two young fledged per successful nest under good conditions.

Storks are birds of freshwater and brackish wetlands, primarily nesting in cypress or mangrove swamps. They feed in freshwater marshes, narrow tidal creeks, or flooded tidal pools. Particularly attractive feeding sites are depressions in marshes or swamps where fish become concentrated during periods of falling water levels.

Information is from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Endangered Species.