Question about Wood Stork color...

[flycaster]

It's been about one month since i started observing these tan Wood Stork chicks. And, it appears that they are still tan; whereas, none of the other chicks in the breeding areas are tan...they are white.

 

[raythentic]

I've been taking pictures of Wood Storks for several years. And, all that time, the storks were always white. However, take a look at the coloring of this mature stork and its chicks. Both have quite bit of tan showing and I'm finding this t be unusual as mature storks are always white (as far as I know.) Young chicks could have a few hints of tan, but I've never seen chicks as tan as these ones. Note how white the other adult storks and their chicks are...this is normal. Would appreciate any comments on this tan color observation.

Few days ago I was talking to someone about Roseate Spoonbills as we only have the white variety over here and he explained to me the color is due to their eating habits, as explained and confirmed here. An unconventional foodpreference might be responsible for similar effects in this particular Stork family.

 

[Blufftonian]

Few days ago I was talking to someone about Roseate Spoonbills as we only have the white variety over here and he explained to me the color is due to their eating habits, as explained and confirmed here. An unconventional foodpreference might be responsible for similar effects in this particular Stork family.

You may well be right but the colour development in roseate spoonbills happens over some time. Immatures are very pale pink and it’s really only the adults (they take 3 years to become sexually mature) that are deep pink. I’ve seen dozens - probably even hundreds - of wood storks here in coastal South Carolina, and I’ve never seen an adult, or a chick, that wasn’t blindingly white.

It’s a puzzle!

 

[ootanaboot]

An unconventional foodpreference might be responsible

You might be onto something there. It sounds plausable.

A while ago I had thought of the possibility of a genetic defect/mutation that comes out in certain generations, maybe in this case?

 

[Woody S]

Almost certainly a somewhat melanistic individual with some dark pigment in its plumage.

 

[flycaster]

Although what some of these birds (like the spoonbill) eat, does contribute to their coloration, I really doubt that this is the case at the rookery I've been following. I base this on the fact that the rookery has about 60+ nesting storks with chicks, and I've only seen one set of "tan" chicks???