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ABOUT THIS SPECIES

WOOD STORK – (Species Account Blog #74)

TAXONOMIC TREE:  

• ORDER: Ciconiiformes,
• FAMILY: Ciconiidae,
• BINOMIAL NAME: Mycteria americana

Huge, long-legged, black-and-white waterbird, about the size of Great Blue Heron. White body with black flight feathers. Adults have a wrinkly bald head and fairly dark bill; juveniles have paler bill and more messy feathering on head and neck. Bill is thicker and more curved than herons. Forages mainly for fish by moving open bill through water until it feels prey. Found in wetlands, particularly flooded swamps and shallow ponds. (from Birds of the World)

SIMILAR SPECIES

Wood Stork is unique in appearance and unlikely to be confused with any other species within its range, except during flight, when it may resemble American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), or King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa

DISTRIBUTION

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PERSONAL OBSERVATION ANECDOTES

In Costa Rica we observed Wood Storks mixed in with Snowy Egrets and a couple of White Ibis while on the boat tour at the mouth of the Tárcoles River.

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PHOTO GALLERY

**Some of these Photo Gallery images (all taken by me) have been taken in other nearby countries.

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RECENT BLOG POSTS

View the five most recent Birds & Birding in Costa Rica series blog posts below.

• A Streak-headed Woodcreeper Feeds its Offspring Near the Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica
• PALE-BILLED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• SMOKY-BROWN WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• HOFFMANN’S WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• BLACK-CHEEKED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding