Region 4 - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Brief Article

Endangered Species Bulletin, July, 2000 by Bill Brooks, Elsie Davis

Wood Stork (Mycterta americana) The Service, in cooperation with several other state, federal, and private organizations, hopes to conduct surveys during the upcoming nesting season, beginning in October, to determine the current status of the endangered wood stork. At present, wood stork nesting colonies are found in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Post-breeding storks disperse as far north as North Carolina and as far west as Mississippi and Alabama.

In the early 1930s, wood stork populations totaled 75,000 birds. By the early 1980s, however, the stork's population had declined to 5,000 nesting pairs in 52 active colonies. The generally accepted explanation for the decline was the reduction in the food base available to support breeding colonies. This reduction was caused by a reduction in wetland habitat, accompanied by a change in hydroperiods resulting from the intensive water management in south Florida.

During the 1990s, the stork's total population increased to 6,000 nesting pairs in 59 active colonies in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Historically, the largest populations have been in the Big Cypress National Preserve and the Everglades. Recently, the population appears to be growing in northern Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia. However, biologists are not yet certain whether the stork's population is actually increasing in the northern areas or is just moving north because of habitat changes in the Everglades. This will be an important determination to make before a proposal to reclassify the stork from endangered to threatened can be issued; the species' recovery plan stipulates that there must be at least 2,500 nesting pairs remaining within the species' historic south Florida area.

Puerto Rican Parrot (Amazona vittata) Ten captive-reared Puerto Rican parrots were released into the Caribbean National Forest on June 27, joining the 40 birds already in the wild. This release highlighted a 32-year cooperative effort between the Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources to help save the parrot, one of the most endangered birds in the U.S., from extinction. Two aviaries sustain about 100 parrots to provide stock for future releases. The June 27 release included' a formal ceremony and provided opportunities for media coverage.

Nine of the 10 released parrots were still alive and healthy as of early August and were adapting to their new environment. One bird was lost on July 1; its cause of death remains unknown. The birds are no longer using supplemental feeding, and they all survived an attack near the release site by a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) on July 19.

Bill Brooks of the Jacksonville, Florida, Field Office.

Elsie Davis of the Atlanta Regional Office.