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Hello this is Dr. Tom Mullikin with SCDNR for Into the Wild.
I watched a wood stork feeding in a shallow wetland not long ago. It moved slowly, sweeping its open bill from side to side through the water.
Unlike a heron that often hunts by sight, a wood stork feeds by touch. The moment a small fish or other prey brushes the inside of its bill, that bill snaps shut. That feeding style works best when water is shallow and fish are concentrated, which is why changing water levels can be so important to these birds.
Wood storks also nest in colonies over water, where the wetland itself can help protect their young from predators. So when you see one standing quietly in the shallows, you are looking at a bird shaped by water - its depth, its timing, and the life moving just below the surface.