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  Profile

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  In flight

Cranes & Waders

Wood Stork

Mycteria americana

• uncommon
• 40 km/h
• Least Concern

The only stork that breeds in North America. Hunts by feel, snapping its bill shut in 25 milliseconds.

Population

144,000-756,000 mature individuals globally (216,600-1,133,900 total individuals; Wetlands International 2023 estimate), per the current IUCN Red List assessment (2025, reassessed June 5 2025, assessment ID 281855989)

Habitat

Freshwater and brackish forested wetlands, swamps, and marshes with fluctuating water levels; nests colonially in trees (cypress, mangrove, oak, black gum) standing over water; forages in open wetlands with water 4-12 inches deep

Fun fact

On hot days, Wood Stork parents cool their nestlings by regurgitating water directly over them in the nest (Cornell Lab of Ornithology/All About Birds; corroborated by multiple independent sources).

Range

Southeastern United States (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina) south through Mexico and Central America, Cuba, and much of South America to northern Argentina; the only stork species that breeds in North America

Diet

Primarily fish (2-25 cm), located by tactile bill-groping in shallow water; also crustaceans (notably crabs), insects, frogs, and occasionally reptiles, nestlings, and seeds, with diet composition shifting seasonally between dry and wet seasons; adults require roughly 520 g of food daily

Size

1 m

Wingspan

1.6 m

Lifespan

22 years