Wood Stork
Mycteria americana
Silhouette: Mathieu Basille · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCiconiiformes (Storks)
- FamilyCiconiidae (Storks)
- GenusMycteria (Mycteria Storks)
- SpeciesMycteria americana (Wood Stork)
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. In the United States, the wood stork was previously classified as endangered due to loss of suitable feeding habitat in the Florida Everglades, its historical population stronghold in the country. The species has been subsequently downlisted to threatened after northward range expansion and increased population size.
The wood stork was first formally given its binomial name Mycteria americana by Linnaeus in 1758. Linnaeus originally named two separate species, M. americana and Tantalus loculator, based on different and... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Wood Stork in Manu National Park
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Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Wood Stork in Manu National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Wood Stork sighting in Manu National Park, based on 332 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Wood Stork in Manu National Park?
October has the highest sighting rate for Wood Stork in Manu National Park in our monthly data.