Wood Stork
A species of Wood Storks, Also known as Flinthead Scientific name : Mycteria americana Genus : Wood Storks
Wood Stork, A species of Wood Storks
Also known as:
Flinthead
Botanical name: Mycteria americana
Genus: Wood Storks
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Description People often ask General Info
Photo By Andrea Westmoreland , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
The wood Stork is a threatened species of bird regularly found in freshwater and estuarine wetlands and swamps. Decreases in populations have largely been accredited to a loss of natural habitat. These birds have a very distinct hunting behavior, leaving their beak underwater until prey causes an almost-instant reaction. Interestingly, this is one of the fastest known reactions of any vertebrate.
Size
89 - 114 cm
Life Expectancy
10 years
Nest Placement
Tree
Clutch Size
1 - 5 eggs
Incubation Period
1 brood
Nestling Period
50 - 55 days
Feeding Habits
Wood Stork's diet consists primarily of fish, crustaceans, insects, amphibians, and sometimes reptiles. They employ tactile hunting by probing wetlands with their bills and use rapid bill closure to catch prey. They forage in flocks or alone, depending on breeding status, adapting their diet seasonally with a preference for larger fish.
Habitat
Wood Stork inhabit tropical and subtropical wetlands, including swamps, marshes, ponds, and estuaries that feature fluctuating water levels conducive to breeding. They favor freshwater environments for nesting in forests typically with Taxodium, while in coastal areas, they nest in mangrove forests. They thrive in wetlands with 4–12 inches of water, ideal for foraging, and roost in trees adjacent to water bodies. Wood Stork can be found from sea level to moderate altitudes, within climates ranging from humid to seasonally flooded regions, often utilizing open wetlands over densely forested areas.
Nest Behavior
Building the nest takes wood Stork 2-3 days, with both males and females collecting materials. Throughout the breeding period, they continuously enhance their nest.
Nest Characteristics
Wood Stork construct their nests in trees above standing water, often utilizing cypress swamps, oak floods, mangroves, or any trees in black gum and Australian pine locations. The nest is a large structure, 3–5 feet wide, made from gathered sticks, lined with greenery, and held together by guano.
Dite type
Piscivorous
People often ask
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Behavior
Wood Stork display communal foraging behavior, often seen trailing each other in lines through wetlands in search of food. Post-foraging, they engage in thermal soaring akin to raptors during warmer afternoon years. Their social nests are shared with other aquatic birds, exhibiting minimal aggression yet capable of a defensive display involving feather fluffing and bill threats when their space is encroached upon. Contrary to some beliefs, wood Stork partnerships are seasonal; pairing occurs annually within breeding colonies, with initial male hostility turning into acceptance and affection as evidenced by mutual preening and stick-sharing for nest building.
Distribution Area
This is a subtropical and tropical species which breeds in much of South America, Central America and the Caribbean. The wood stork is the only stork that breeds in North America. In the United States there are small breeding populations in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. In South America, it is found south to northern Argentina. Some populations in North America disperse after breeding, frequently to South America. 
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Scientific Classification
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