Overview

The Wood Stork (Mycteria americana), formerly called the Wood Ibis, is the only stork in North America Among stork’s nicknames are Gourdhead and Flinthead, references to the bare, dark skin covering the head and the upper neck.

Young storks, unlike their parents, are feathered in those areas. Another difference is in the voice. Although older storks are mostly silent, the young birds produce and unbelievable clamor. Observers heard the grunts, squeals, bleats and bellows coming from a Wood Stork colony which resembled sounds made by bullfrogs and alligators.

This species prefers swamps; marshy meadows, and shallow freshwater areas.