Storks are long-legged and long-necked birds that wade in shallow water. They have long stout bills that are used to eat frogs, fish, insects, worms, small birds and mammals. Storks are heavy with a large wide wingspan. They tend to fly in a soaring fashion, which conserves energy.
Regional Distribution in Eastern NA
There is only 1 family: Ciconiidae, one genera and one species: the Wood Stork. They are mostly found in Florida and on the coasts Georgia and South Carolina.
Photos of Wood Storks
Sources
Wikipedia
Sibley Field Guide
Sibley Field Guide
Do you think we will see any Wood Storks on our fieldtrips this semester?
ReplyDeleteThe Wood Storks range is in Florida and along the coast of Georgia and South Carolina. However Sibley's Guide says that is rare to find them in NJ and in general they prefer shallow muddy ponds with high concentration of fish. So if we visit a location like that, we might get lucky!
DeleteSo I think that flamingos, herons, and egrets used to be in this order as well. Do you know why they got reclassified? I would love to see a wood stork this summer if possible!
ReplyDeleteIm having a hard time finding information on exactly why they were reclassified, but it seems like analysis of DNA sequences is revealing the differences. Although, herons and storks look the same and have similar adaptations, this is due to convergent evolution and not from shared ancestry.
DeleteAlso the classifications on Wikipedia are not updated like ours our.
Would you know if there are any stork that breed in NJ?
ReplyDeleteMost likely not. The only stork in eastern NA is the wood stork and its range is around Florida.
ReplyDeleteWhen in Peru I was able to see an Andean Condor (I couldnt find it's exact order, many websited said it was disputed but Ciconiiformes was one of them). You should check out a picture of one, it was so big!
ReplyDeleteLol yea I would not want to mess with that birds.
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