The wood stork, America's only native stork species, is officially off the federal endangered species list after decades of conservation work.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made the announcement on February 9. The Endangered Species Act gave the bird federal protection in 1984, when its numbers had fallen by more than 75% compared to the 1930s. The bird was close to vanishing.
The picture today is much brighter. Between 10,000 and 14,000 pairs now nest at around 100 different colonies in six states, from North Carolina down through South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. The birds have moved into new territory, too, settling in salt marshes near the shore, rice paddies prone to flooding, wetlands in forested floodplains, and human-made wetland habitats.
That kind of comeback is great news for the ecosystems these storks call home. Healthy stork populations point to healthy wetlands, and for communities along the southeastern coast, strong wetlands mean better flood protection and cleaner water.
If you live near these coastal habitats, you can support birds like the wood stork by protecting local wetlands and backing conservation efforts in your area. Small actions, like keeping waterways clean and supporting land preservation programs, go a long way.
To keep the momentum going, federal officials plan to track the wood stork's numbers for the next 10 years.
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"The wood stork's recovery is a real conservation success thanks to a lot of hard work from our partners," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik said in a statement. "The Trump administration is working quickly to remove federal protections from species that no longer need them, and I'm proud that the wood stork is another example of that."
"These delistings reflect successful conservation partnerships and the administration's focus on results-driven wildlife management that returns recovered species to state and tribal stewardship," the department said. "The Trump administration continues to advance policies that strengthen species recovery while reducing unnecessary federal restrictions."
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