The wood stork is a large wading bird in the family Ciconiidae (storks). Originally described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus, this stork is native to the subtropics and tropics of the Americas where it persists in habitats with fluctuating water levels. It is the only stork species that breeds in North America. The head and neck are bare of feathers, and dark grey in colour. The plumage is mostly white, with the exception of the tail and some of the wing feathers, which are black with a greenish-purplish sheen.
Region
Neotropics and Southeastern United States
Typical Environment
Occurs from the southeastern United States through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and much of northern and central South America. It favors lowland wetlands including cypress swamps, freshwater and brackish marshes, mangroves, seasonally flooded forests, and rice fields. Breeding colonies are usually placed in tall trees over standing water that deters ground predators. Foraging relies on wetlands with receding or fluctuating water levels that concentrate small fish and invertebrates.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Wood storks are the only stork species that breeds in North America, nesting colonially in trees over water. They feed mainly by touch, sweeping their open bill through shallow water and snapping it shut in milliseconds when prey contacts it. Their bare, scaly head and neck help keep feathers clean while foraging in muddy wetlands. Populations respond strongly to water-level fluctuations that concentrate fish.
The wood stork's head much resembles that of an ibis.
Active wood stork colonies in the United States from 2015 to 2019 (United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 2023)
Nesting colony in Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge, Georgia, United States
Wood storks copulating
Eggs of the wood stork
Two wood stork chicks at their nest
A wood stork foraging
A wood stork shading its young
A wood stork and a juvenile yacare caiman in the Pantanal, Brazil
Temperament
social and colonial
Flight Pattern
soaring glider with slow, deep wingbeats
Social Behavior
Nests in large colonies, often mixed with other wading birds, placing stick nests high in trees over water. Pairs are seasonally monogamous; both sexes incubate and tend the young. Outside breeding, they forage in loose groups and may roost communally.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Generally quiet; adults communicate at colonies with hisses, croaks, grunts, and rapid bill-clattering. Young beg with noisy calls. Vocalizations are mostly confined to the breeding sites.
