Forest stork

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Forest stork
Forest storks (Mycteria americana) at sunrise

Forest storks ( Mycteria americana ) at sunrise

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Ciconiiformes
Family : Storks (Ciconiidae)
Genre : Gluttonous ( Mycteria )
Type : Forest stork
Scientific name
Mycteria americana
Linnaeus , 1758
Forest stork in the Everglades

The forest stork ( Mycteria americana ) is a walking bird from the genus of the gluttonous ( Mycteria ). It is the only species of stork that also breeds in North America and is the largest walking bird there . In the USA it has long been considered an endangered species of bird, which was in danger of disappearing completely in the northernmost part of the range and for which numerous measures were introduced to protect its population. Since 2014 the species has only been considered endangered in this part of its range.

distribution

The forest stork is a species native to the tropics that breeds in South and Central America and the Caribbean . Small colonies also exist in the United States , namely in Florida , Georgia, and South Carolina . This makes it the only stork that breeds in North America .

It is a resident bird of tree-lined damp lowlands. It wades in shallow water and feeds on fish , frogs and large insects .

Appearance

Adult forest storks have a wingspan of 1.50 m. The plumage is white, the legs are blackish gray, the feet pink. The head is dark brown, the face black. The downward curved bill is yellowish. The forest stork has broad wings and flies with a stretched neck and legs. A black wing edge shows up in flight.

Fledglings are similar to adult birds, their necks are slightly brown and their beaks paler.

Reproduction

The wood stork builds its nest on trees, often in colonies with multiple nests on one tree. It incubates once a year and the female lays 3–5 eggs . The incubation period is 27–32 days; both parents take over the breeding business.

literature

  • Jonathan Alderfer (Ed.): Complete Birds of North America , National Geographic, Washington DC 2006, ISBN 0-7922-4175-4 .

Web links

Commons : Forest Stork  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Waldstorch  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. Reuter message about successes in protecting the forest stork , accessed on September 18, 2016
  2. ^ A b The Birds of North America, Wood Stork, accessed July 7, 2013