The Food Habits and Nesting Succes of Wood Storks in Everglades National Park in 1974
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Material Information

Title:
The Food Habits and Nesting Succes of Wood Storks in Everglades National Park in 1974 Natural Resources Report Number 16
Creator:
South Florida Natural Resources Center/South Florida Research Center, Everglades National Park
John C. Odgen
James A. Kushlan
James T. Tilmant
Place of Publication:
Homestead
Florida
Publisher:
National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
Publication Date:

Notes

Abstract:
The Wood Stork (Igycteria americana) is a wading bird adapted to fluctuating water levels such as those found in the Everglades of Everglades National Park, The population of Everglades Wood Storks declined through the 1960s and they did not nest successfully from 1967 through 1973. This paper describes a study conducted in 1974 on the factors affecting food supplies and successful nesting of Wood Storks in Everglades National Park. Since Wood Storks nested successfully in 1974, this study provided the first opportunity in 7 years to obtain information necessary for the preservation of the species in Everglades National Park. As a result of this initial study, we reconunend areas of future research required for proper management of the Everglades ecosystem. Wood Storks began nesting in late January 1974 and the 2,000 nesting storks successfully reared 1,900 young. Since 1974 was a dry year, it continued the recent but unnatural pattern of storks nesting successfully in dry years, which began after the institution of water control in 1962. An important result of this year's nesting was that the time of nesting correlated with the rate of drying in the Everglades, substantiating a previously derived relation. The 1974 results proved that sufficient food can still be produced in the highly altered southern Florida environment to permit successful nesting of the remnant population of Everglades Wood Storks, although with loss of habitat and artificial impoundment of water, storks were forced to fly 130 Ian from the colony to feed young late in the nesting season. Preliminary information was obtained on the abundance of Wood Stork prey in the southern Everglades and estuarine areas of the park. The first substantial understanding of food habits of Everglades Wood Storks also was acquired through collection of food items from nestling and adult storks. The diet of storks was composed almost entirely of fish and only a few species made up most of the food consumed. Storks fed where food was relatively concentrated and selectively consumed the relatively larger fish of those available. The rapid population decline and changes in Wood Stork nesting success of recent years coincided with the institution of water control. Analyzing these changes, as well as deriving the proper management to preserve the natural Everglades ecosystem are complicated by diversion of surface water to the western part of the southern Everglades rather thh through the natural drainage basin. ( English )

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Holding Location:
South Florida Natural Resource Center
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