While watching a group of wading birds feed I kept hearing a clacking or crunching noise. I checked the Alligators, as I’ve seen them catch dinner plate sized blue crabs in this pond then crunch-crunch them…

Then I spotted it: the two right hand birds in this group of Wood Storks was doing some beak clacking or snapping. I couldn’t tell if it was all beak on beak, or if the individuals were also clapping their own beaks. Either was it was a pretty dramatic sound effect.

The behavior didn’t appear to be aggressive and I don’t know if it had some breeding implication.

A couple of the others just went on with their preening, the two on the right had a long look at the sky, then it was over.

Donnelley Wildlife Management Area, SC
April 2, 2023