The Wood Stork

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to large wading birds, many of which have specialized bills, the Family Ciconiidae, a classification which includes all storks, openbills, woollynecks and adjutants, and finally the Genus/Species Mycteria Americana, with the common name of the wood stork.
Wood storks were not an uncommon sight in the wetlands of Florida a few decades ago. They had been spared during an era marked by the desecration of many of Florida's other wading birds by plume hunters killing for highly sought after plumage. Wood storks were not considered marketable since they lacked the elaborate breeding plumage that was typically used for fashionable ladies' hats ("Florida's Wood Storks"). More recent discoveries however, have shown these storks to be a very valuable species of bird, as they act as an indicator species and can be used to diagnose the health of certain ecosystems. More recently the wood stork's population has been dwindling. While today the wood stork has fortunately come off of the ...

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plumage; adults obtain pale salmon coloring under the wings as well as a fluffy undertail coverts that are longer than the tail, and toes that brighten to a vivid pink (Honkla).
The Wood Stork is a very distinctive, unique, almost primitive looking creature but can often be confused when flying with other species such as the White Ibis, White Pelican, and the King Vulture because they have a similar manner of flying (Coulter, Depkin, Otgen, and Rodgers).

Habitat and Distribution:

The Wood Stork's niche in the ecosystem is as a predator, hunting fish and aquatic invertebrates or small vertebrates (Kucera). This species also is considered an indicator species for the Florida ...

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