The Story
I photographed this Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) at Gatorland in Orlando, Florida, United States, in November 2020, with its weathered-looking head and sleek plumage. It stands 83 to 115 centimeters tall, with a wingspan of 140 to 180 centimeters. It ranges across the Southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, Cuba and South America. In the United States it was once listed as endangered because of lost feeding habitat in the Florida Everglades, and it was later downlisted to threatened as its range and numbers grew. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/2500 sec, f/7.1, ISO 400. Herons, White Ibises, Wood Storks and Snowy Egrets have nested in Gatorland’s rookery for years, with nesting from January to August and a peak from April to June.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) belongs to the family Ciconiidae (Storks) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2025). Source: IUCN Red List
