Wood Stork
Wood Stork has declined: down 45% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Wood Stork
The Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) is a North American member of the Storks (Ciconiidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 33.5–45.5 in long (85–115 cm) — a very large wader (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 217 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 9 states, most concentrated in the Southeastern Coastal Plain.
- Family
- Ciconiidae · Wetland birds
Notable Wood Stork Trends
No notable trend signals for Wood Stork. See the full index history below.
Wood Stork Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Wood Stork is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.12 (95% range 0.00–0.30). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±371%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.11 | 0.00 | 0.30 |
| 2026 | 0.11 | 0.00 | 0.30 |
| 2027 | 0.11 | 0.00 | 0.30 |
| 2028 | 0.11 | 0.00 | 0.30 |
| 2029 | 0.12 | 0.00 | 0.30 |
Where the Wood Stork Is Detected
BBS routes recording Wood Stork, sized by most recent count.
Wood Stork Population Trend by State
| Alabama | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| California | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Florida | -49% | 1968 | 92 |
| Georgia | -58% | 1969 | 51 |
| Louisiana | -25% | 1977 | 18 |
| Mississippi | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| North Carolina | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| South Carolina | -64% | 1977 | 15 |
| Texas | -80% | 1972 | 28 |
Wood Stork Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Oaks and Prairies | +112% | 1984 | 10 |
| Mississippi Alluvial Valley | +21% | 1995 | 6 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | +1% | 1969 | 101 |
| Peninsular Florida | -54% | 1968 | 68 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | -92% | 1974 | 23 |
Wood Stork Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 45% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.