The Story
I photographed this Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) at Hato Barley in Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia. Its head and neck are bare and dark gray, and its plumage is mostly white with some black wing and tail feathers. Its legs and feet are dark, and the toes turn pink in the breeding season. Fledged young look like adults but have a feathered head and a yellow bill. Males average about 2.7 kilograms. It is the only stork that breeds in North America. Tauramena lies in southwestern Casanare. Casanare lies in Colombia’s Orinoquía region, the eastern plains, at an average of about 350 meters.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600. IUCN lists the Wood Stork as Least Concern.
©2019 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
