The Wood Stork is a large, long legged wading bird. The head and upper neck of adult Wood Storks have no feathers, but have gray rough scaly skin. Wood Storks also have a black bill and black legs with pink toes. Adult Wood Storks are voiceless and can only make hissing sounds.

Wood Stork: Federally Threatened

The South Florida population has collapsed due to agricultural expansion and changes in water level and chemical composition of water (salty or fresh) that affect the availability of their prey. Wood Storks need normal flooding to increase prey population with a natural drainage to concentrate prey in one area. Successful breeding depends on normal hydrocycles. The drainage of cypress stands prevents the Wood Stork from nesting, and makes their nest susceptible to raccoons. Wood Storks build their nests in all kinds of trees that are above water, like cypress trees at Brooker Creek Preserve! For a visual, imagine cypress trees sticking out of the swamp water making the tree trunks kind of like an island (hard to reach). So, if water is drained from the cypress swamps, the trunks of the trees would be left available for a raccoon to then climb up the tree and prey on the eggs in the nest.

How You Can Help the Wood Stork

There are many ways you can help. In fact, the population is increasing. In February 2014 it was reclassified as threatened after having been endangered. You can properly dispose of fishing line. Do not feed Wood Storks. Follow speed limits on refuge roads. Stay on designated trails unless otherwise permitted.

Thanks for reading!