Wood Stork photographs

These Wood Storks were photographed in a nesting colony of 500 pairs in Florida. The Storks have from one to four chicks, but only one to two survive in the average nest. When neither parent is at the nest, the other adults frequently attack the nest and steal sticks to add to their own nests.  If the parent is gone too long, the entire nest may be stolen and the chicks may fall to the ground. The larger chicks will try to prevent the stick thefts by attacking the adult birds. The adult birds will then peck at the chicks viscously, sometimes killing them.

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