Wood Stork

One of the fun encounters we had in Everglades National Park was with the wood stork. 

I've seen storks in Europe, in particular, the white stork last summer, but not in the United States. Partly because of my childhood images of storks carrying babies, flying neck outstretched and legs extended, 

and partly because of their gangly look, 

I really love storks. So it was a thrill for me to see them on a number of different occasions. The head of the wood stork is dark brown 

and it has a bald head, black face 

and long, dusky yellow, down-curved bill. 

It has blackish-gray legs, knobby knees 

and pink feet. 

Its feathers are white, 

except for the edges of its wing and tail which are black. 

It is endangered in the U.S. and breeds only in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. It is found in much larger numbers world-wide and is not endangered globally. It likes to forage where low water levels concentrate fish in open wetlands and it eats fish, frogs and large insects. It catches fish by holding its bill open in the water until a fish is detected.