# Wood Stork (*Mycteria americana*) The Wood Stork is a tall, wading bird with long legs and a big beak. They like to stand in shallow water and catch fish with their beaks. These birds are very graceful when they fly! - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 18 - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![Wood Stork](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/WoodStorkWhole.JPG&width=800) Photo: Googie man ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WoodStorkWhole.JPG) ## Appearance The Wood Stork is a large, white wading bird with dark gray to black flight feathers. It has an unfeathered, dark grayish-black head and neck, and a long, thick, downcurved bill. Its legs are pinkish. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Ciconiiformes - **Family:** Ciconiidae - **Genus:** Mycteria ## Interesting facts - Baby storks are born with soft, downy feathers covering their heads, which disappear as they grow. - Their extra-long, sensitive bills can snap shut on fish in less than 25 milliseconds! - They use a "foot-stirring" dance in shallow water to flush out hidden prey! - Wood Storks don't sing; they hiss and clatter their bills to talk to each other! ## Special abilities - **Tactile Hunting:** Wood Storks can find prey in murky water by feeling with their sensitive bills, which snap shut incredibly fast. - **Thermal Soaring:** Wood Storks have broad wings that help them ride warm air currents, allowing long-distance flight with little effort. - **Built-in Air Conditioning:** Wood Storks have a unique ability to cool down by letting their droppings run down their legs. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 83-115 cm - **Wingspan:** 150-180 cm - **Weight:** 2-4.5 kg - **Lifespan:** 11-18 years - **Speed:** 50 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 2-5 - **Incubation:** 27-32 days ## Diet & Feeding They mostly eat small fish and other aquatic creatures by feeling for them in the water. - **Primary Foods:** small fish, frogs, tadpoles, crayfish, aquatic insects - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [American Alligator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-alligator) (*Alligator mississippiensis*) — Alligators sometimes prey on their eggs and young chicks. - **Eaten by:** [Raccoon](https://www.snappit.app/explore/raccoon) (*Procyon lotor*) — Raccoons are known to raid nests for eggs and young storks. - **Hunts:** [Eastern Mosquitofish](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-mosquitofish) (*Gambusia holbrooki*) — They effectively hunt small mosquitofish in shallow water. - **Hunts:** [Southern Leopard Frog](https://www.snappit.app/explore/southern-leopard-frog) (*Lithobates sphenocephalus*) — Commonly eats frogs and tadpoles found in wetlands. - **Shelter:** Bald Cypress (*Taxodium distichum*) — Often build their nests high in bald cypress trees. ## Traits - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Filter Feeder](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/filter-feeder): Filter feeders obtain nutrients by straining suspended food particles and small organisms from water. - [Piscivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/piscivorous): Piscivorous organisms are animals that primarily subsist on a diet of fish. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Migratory](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/migratory): Migratory animals undertake seasonal movements from one region to another, typically in response to changes in climate or food availability. - [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always watch birds from a distance and do not disturb their nests. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Wood Stork? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Wood Stork? 83-115 cm ### What is Wood Stork's wingspan? 150-180 cm ### How much does Wood Stork weigh? 2-4.5 kg ### How long does Wood Stork live? 11-18 years ### How fast can Wood Stork move? 50 km/h ### What does Wood Stork eat? They mostly eat small fish and other aquatic creatures by feeling for them in the water. ### Where is Wood Stork usually found? Wetlands ## Where to spot - [Brunswick Old Town Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/brunswick-old-town-historic-district) — Georgia, US · Historic District - [Charleston Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/charleston-historic-district) — South Carolina, US · Historic District - [Flamingo Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/flamingo-gardens) — Florida, US · Botanical Garden - [French Quarter](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/french-quarter) — US · Neighborhood - [St. Augustine Town Plan Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/st-augustine-town-plan-historic-district) — Florida, US · Historic District - [Tockwotton-Love Place Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/tockwotton-love-place-historic-district) — Georgia, US · Historic District [View all places to see Wood Stork](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/wood-stork) ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Wood Stork: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/wood-stork)