STORKS
Wading Birds - Storks
Wood Stork
A large, white, bald-headed wading bird of the southeastern swamps, the Wood Stork is the only stork breeding in the United States. Its late winter breeding season is timed to the Florida dry season when its fish prey become concentrated in shrinking pools.
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 (Kahl 1963a). (Kahl’s critical 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 (Ogden 1994). 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.
Thanks to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the above info.
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