The Wood Stork

Description: Large white birds (stands up to forty-five inches tall) with blackish legs and pink feet; black lining on the wing edge; bald head with large down curved bill.  Males can weigh up to ten pounds.

When: Roosts appear in June and July. After the breeding season the stork population disperses to Louisiana from the Southeastern United States and Mexico.

Where: Storks can be seen flying over I-10….they fly with their neck outstretched (as opposed to herons) and legs extended. They like to roost in cypress trees in marshes, swamps and wetlands. In July they can number in the hundreds at South Farm in the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area. Go early in the morning to catch them feeding in the pond before taking off to roost. Also seen in rice country in fields where agricultural ponds are being drained leaving fish and crawfish stranded.

Breeding: The only stork that breeds in North America (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina). Considered endangered in the United States. Wood storks also breed in South America where healthy populations exist.

Feeding: Storks hold their bills open in the water until a fish is detected then snap it shut in as little as twenty-five milliseconds. Also eat crawfish, frogs and insects.

Interesting Facts:  The legend of storks delivering babies has roots in Greek and Egyptian mythology. The northern European lore originated because storks arrive on their breeding grounds in Poland and Germany nine months after midsummer. They were encouraged to nest on people's homes and properties in the hope that they would bring fertility and prosperity.