A wood stork typically seen in tropical and subtropical regions migrated to New York City but died 10 days after it was first spotted on Staten IslandNEW YORK -- A wood stork typically seen in tropical and subtropical regions migrated to New York City but died 10 days after it was first spotted on Staten Island, apparently after eating a large piece of hardened foam, researchers said. The juvenile wood stork was first seen by bird researcher Anthony Ciancimino on July 31 in a saltwater marsh near Staten Island's Amazon warehouse, the Staten Island Advance reported. Ramirez-Garofalo and Curley said that despite the bird being found near the Amazon facility, it could have come across the debris somewhere else. Wood storks typically breed in Florida, Georgia and coastal South Carolina and are rarely seen as far north as New York. Ciancimino, who maintains records of rare birds reported on Staten Island in the bird database eBird, said the last time a wood stork was spotted in the borough before this year was 1973.

Source: ABC News August 18, 2021 13:30 UTC