The adult Wood Stork didn’t move much, changing from left facing to right facing just once while I was watching.
The chick tried all kinds of positions from having his legs bended beneath him in the first image to upright…
… to the full tall stretch.
Their bodies are roughly the same size, but you can see the youngster doesn’t have the full tail or beak length yet.
Cypress Wetlands, Port Royal, SC
June 6, 2026
Nice shots, Ellen! Interesting to see them side by side.
Thanks, Belinda! The chicks grow so fast it is amazing. And the Wood Stork chicks don’t show any interest beyond their nest space like some of the herons. The Snowies and Great Egrets always seem to be poking at whatever is next door 🙂
Great comparison to see the youngster beside the parent, thanks for watching them long enough to catch that!
Sometimes staying put pays off! They grow so fast, I was just wondering how much food that parent must have brought! Most of the Wood Stork nests we’ve seen have two or three chicks, but I doubt they all make it to fledge. Some year I hope to get back there when the flying has started. I’ve seen some of the other wading birds learning to fly, but have never caught a Wood Stork.