Description: Wood storks are large wading birds approximately 3 1/2 feet in height with a wing span of over 5 feet. They are distinguished by a dark unfeathered head and neck, a white body, and a black tail and wing tips. Like most other wading birds, wood storks feed on small fish in shallow freshwater wetlands. They use tall cypresses near the water for colonial nest sites. They occasionally visit Alabama’s swamps to forage, but no longer are known to nest in the state.
Forestry Considerations: Forestry operations in Alabama complying with Alabama’s Best Management Practices for Forestry should not affect wood storks. If nesting should resume here, approriate care should be given to protect the nest sites and the tall cypresses the storks favor.
Distribution by County: Wood storks have been sighted in Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Choctaw, Clarke, Colbert, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dallas, Escambia, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Russell, Sumter, Washington, and Wilcox Counties. |
