A fascinating and unusual-looking bird that stands out among wetland wildlife with its tall stature, bald wrinkled head, and impressive wingspan. Despite its somewhat prehistoric, vulture-like appearance, the wood stork is a graceful flyer and a skilled hunter—especially when it comes to catching fish in murky waters.
One of the most unique things about the Wood Stork is how it feeds. Unlike many birds that rely on sight to catch prey, the wood stork uses a technique called “tactile feeding.” It walks slowly through shallow water with its long beak wide open and partially submerged. As soon as a fish, frog, or small crustacean brushes against it, the stork’s beak snaps shut in as little as 25 milliseconds—faster than the blink of an eye! This “snap reflex” is one of the quickest reflexes in the animal kingdom, making the stork a remarkably efficient predator.
Although they may look a bit odd, Wood Storks are amazing fliers. Once airborne, they become unexpectedly elegant, soaring high on thermal currents with their necks stretched out and legs trailing behind. They barely flap their wings when gliding and can cover great distances without tiring. In fact, wood storks are so good at riding air currents that they can sometimes be seen soaring with vultures and hawks.
Wood Storks are incredibly picky nesters. They only breed when water levels are just right—not too high, not too low—because they rely on drying pools to concentrate fish for feeding their chicks. If the water isn’t perfect, they won’t nest at all. When conditions are ideal, however, they gather in huge colonies and build massive stick nests in trees above the water, usually alongside other wading birds like herons and egrets.
Distribution
Argentina
Aruba
Bahamas
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Canada
Cayman Islands
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
French Guiana
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Trinidad & Tobago
Turks & Caicos
United States
Uruguay
VenezuelaAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Flock
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
