Wood Stork

Not at all what I expected to see, sitting by the side of the road in downtown Ocala this morning. I was afraid that it might have been hit by a car, as it was very disheveled and obviously not feeling too good, but it got to it?s feet and walked off when I came too close; eventually flying quite strongly into a nearby tree. I think it is a youngster, and hopefully, when he has had a rest, he will find his way back to his family.

Wood Storks are listed on the Federal Endangered Species List, the population having risen to 11,000 pairs today, from 5,000 in the late ?70s. It is a subtropical and tropical species which breeds in much of South America, Central America and the Caribbean. The Wood Stork is the only stork that presently breeds in North America. In the United States there are small breeding populations in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.