The Story
I made this photo of a Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) at Reserva Natural La Palmita in Trinidad, Casanare, Colombia. 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. Its legs and feet are dark, and the toes turn pink in the breeding season. La Palmita’s research center has recorded 250 bird species and 39 bat species in the flooded savannas of Trinidad. IUCN lists the Wood Stork 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 1/800 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100. La Palmita conserves its flooded savannas through its cattle ranching and has welcomed visitors since 2013, so every stay supports sustainable tourism in the region.
©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
