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Wood Stork
Mycteria americana
Audubon Illustration
John James Audubon, Birds of America (1827-1838). Public domain.
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About the Wood Stork
The wood stork (Mycteria americana) is a large wading bird in the family Ciconiidae (storks). Originally described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus, this stork is native to the subtropics and tropics of the Americas where it persists in habitats with fluctuating water levels. It is the only stork species that breeds in North America. The head and neck are bare of feathers, and dark grey in colour. The plumage is mostly white, with the exception of the tail and some of the wing feathers, which are black with a greenish-purplish sheen. Globally, the wood stork is considered to be of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Source: Wikipedia
Classification
- Scientific name
- Mycteria americana
- Family
- Storks
- Order
- Ciconiiformes
Similar species
Other members of the storks family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.
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Optics
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