Wood+Stork+2010

By: Storm M

The Wood Stork is all white on the ground with blackish gray legs and pink feet. In flight the edge of the wings are black. The long bill is dusky yellow. The juvenile birds are generally browner on the neck, and have a paler bill. The adult is 33-45 in tall and the wing span is 58-71 in. This is a subtropical and tropical species which breeds in a lot of South America, Central America, and in the Caribbean. The Wood Stork is the only stork that is presently breeding in North America. In the United States there is little and endangered breeding population in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. They recently discovered rookery in south eastern Carolina. The Wood Stork eats mostly fish, frogs, and large insects, and sometimes they eat lizards and small rodents. It catches fish with its bill open in the water until a fish is detected. Breeding once a year the female lays 3-5 eggs in a clutch. A colony is considered successful if its parent's average at least 1.5 fledged young per nest. Corves, vultures, grackles, and striped skunk will attempt to pick off the eggs. Raccoons are the leading predator of the nest, and cause complete colony nesting failure. We can relocate them away from predators to save them. So they are out of harm from any predators.