Wood Stork - Palm Coast FL

Huge, long-legged, black-and-white waterbird, about the size of Great Blue Heron. White body with black flight feathers. Adults have a wrinkly bald head and fairly dark bill; juveniles have paler bill and more messy feathering on head and neck. Bill is thicker and more curved than herons. Forages mainly for fish by moving open bill through water until it feels prey. Found in wetlands, particularly flooded swamps and shallow ponds. Often soars, sometimes with vultures. In Middle and South America, compare with Jabiru, which is even larger than Wood Stork and has entirely white wings.

House Finch - Jacksonville, FL

Frequents suburban settings across North America, along with open woods, brushy field edges, and deserts. Males vary in shades and intensity of red. Some males are yellow or orange. Females are drab gray-brown overall with plain faces and blurry streaks on underparts. Similar to Purple and Cassin's Finch, but House Finch males are more orangey-red with color equally bright on crown, throat, and breast. Red color is mostly restricted to head and upper chest, contrasting with cold gray-brown nape, back, and wings. Pale sides show distinct brown streaks, lacking red tones. Females lack bold face pattern and have more diffuse patterning overall. Often sings loudly in neighborhoods and visits feeders.

Tricolored Heron - St. Augustine, FL

Slender, medium-sized heron. Slaty-blue overall with a white belly and white underwings. Extremely long bill. In breeding plumage, look for buffy plumes on the lower back and orange tones on the throat and foreneck. Juveniles are stained rusty on the neck and shoulders. Fairly common but with restricted range in the southeastern U.S., mainly along the coast. More widespread in Central America and northern South America. Occurs in shallow wetlands, marshes, and mudflats. Often forages actively, darting around erratically and chasing after fish.

Sandhill Crane - Palatka, FL

Large, long-legged bird shaped much like a heron. Gray body, sometimes with intense rusty staining. Adults have red crown. Often in large flocks at migration and wintering concentration points. Favors marshes and agricultural fields where they eat primarily grains. In flight, neck is outstretched, unlike herons with tucked necks. Snappy wingbeats. Listen for far-carrying bugling call.