Coastal Habitat Use by Wood Storks During the Non-breeding Season

Abstract

Abstract We documented roosting and foraging habitat use by Wood Storks during the post-breeding season in the coastal zone of Georgia from 1994-1998. Larger, more persistent aggregations of roosting storks typically occurred in enclosed wetlands on large estuarine islands. Smaller, more ephemeral aggregations tended to occur on salt marsh/upland ecotones, where storks appeared to be waiting for local conditions (tide levels) to become suitable for foraging. Examination of habitat types within a 2-km radius of the larger (mean >10 storks/survey) vs. smaller (mean <10 storks/survey) roosts showed that surrounding habitat structure, including those used for foraging, were similar. Foraging storks typically fed in close proximity (median = 0.5 km) to large roosts, much closer than storks using coastal wetlands during the breeding season. Tidal creeks were used almost exclusively as foraging habitat (92%). Storks and other wading birds were almost always present when the study bird arrived. The foraging patte...