Several wildlife areas in these countries are inhabited by Storm’s storks. Storm’s storks are protected by law in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Fewer than 500 individuals are thought to still exist. The species was thought to be extinct in Thailand until a photo was taken on a camera trap. Storm’s storks are listed as Endangered by IUCN because they have a very small, fragmented population which is very rapidly declining, owing to destruction of lowland forest through logging, dam construction and conversion to oil-palm plantations.

This species is one of the rarest species of stork. They live in undisturbed forest and freshwater habitats. Storm’s storks are native to Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand in Southeast Asia. Stormy is a favorite among the staff due to his quirky and sometimes stormy behaviors.

He occasionally will display to keepers when they are cleaning or feeding by bowing his head low and making a raspy noise. One of his favorite pastimes is hunting for live minnows, which he receives as a treat on occasion. His beak also has to be long to reach into the water where he finds his food. He has very long legs so he can wade in deep water and tall grass. He is more active in the evening when it is quieter. He is a very secretive bird and tends to stay high in the canopy during the day without moving or making any noise making him very easy to overlook despite his size (he stands about 2 ½ feet tall). Stormy lives in the Aquatics room of the Bird World building. This is Stormy the Storm’s stork ( Ciconia stormi). Introducing one of the largest and most easily overlooked birds in Bird World.

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