What type of nest do wood storks build?
Storks build a rather bulky nest of twigs that are simply laid in the forks of trees or on a branch of a tree. Nest height above the water varies from 3- to 50- feet. Nests generally are 20- to 25-inches in diameter and 6- to 10-inches high. The foundation material usually is made up of larger dead sticks (up to 2- inches thick) while the upper surface of the nest contains smaller (1/16- to 1/8-inch thick), more pliable twigs. While most of the nest is rather porous, the interior surface or cup region is lined with live vegetation made up of leaves and pliable branchlets. This nest greenery lines the cup region to prevent the eggs from slipping down into the spaces between the large twigs and further insulates the eggs in the rather porous nest. Finally, the habit of storks to defecate over the edge of the nest deposits a layer of guano around the edge of the nest, which dries to form an almost adobe material. It also provides some strengthening and rigidity to the lattice, or framewor
