Wood Stork Gallery

 Mycteria americana

The Birds of the World website introduces the Wood Stork with this descriptive information: The only stork and the largest wading bird that breeds in the United States, the Wood Stork is a distinctive wetland bird found primarily in the Southeast. It stands a meter tall, and has a dark, featherless head and upper neck, as well as white plumage, with dark iridescent wing- and tail feathers. Regional names for this species reflect its striking appearance: Ironhead, Flinthead, and Pond Gannet.

Like many other storks, the Wood Stork is a tactile feeder, capturing food by feel.  Behavior studies established a basic understanding of the species that underlined most studies and debate that followed.  Although this bird can feed visually, tactile feeding allows it to forage in wetlands with concentrated prey, as well as in murky waters, without depending on sight. In south Florida, extensive wetlands and high concentrations of prey due to evaporative drawdowns during the dry season have historically supported large breeding colonies of this species. However, this population has declined significantly since the 1960s, as a result of water management practices in southern Florida and degradation of the Everglades. These changes have focused attention on this species as a bioindicator of the health of the Everglades and other shallow wetlands regionwide. Restoration of these wetlands will be crucial for the recovery of this stork.

I met my first Wood Stork on the morning of Tuesday, August 22, 2023.  Our Jeff Parker Tour group was headed to Fazenda Santa Tereza for a couple of days of watching birds and wildlife in the Pantanal Region of Brazil.  We were on MT-060 which turns into the Transpantaneira Highway when we spotted several Wood Storks perch in a mixed flock near the road.  In short order, we also got to observe them in flight. For details of my Brazilian trip that include the sighting of this bird, look here.  Below are a few of my photos of this unusual bird.