Painted Stork soaring with green foliage

A stork soars

This still shot of a painted stork was snapped in the midst of a mighty flap, scavenged shrubbery in tow. Such botanical bits and bobs are building material for the stork's nest: Despite their bulk and gangly shape, these waders raise their young way up in the trees, often in colonies of hundreds alongside other waterbirds like herons and pelicans. Of course, with their 3-foot-plus stature, hooked orange beaks, and 'bald' heads, painted storks stick out even in the most crowded of tree canopies.