In a landmark victory for wildlife conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officially announced today that the wood stork has been removed from the federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife.
The delisting, going into effect on March 9, 2026, marks the first bird species to be delisted during the current administration and highlights a major shift in stewardship back to the states.
When the wood stork was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1984, it was on the brink of extinction. As the only stork species that breeds in the United States, its population had plummeted by over 75% since the 1930s. This sharp decline was largely due to habitat loss, especially in South Florida, where vital wetland areas for breeding and foraging had been severely diminished.
Today, the wood stork breeding population is estimated at 10,000-14,000 nesting pairs across roughly 100 colony sites — more than twice the number of nesting pairs and more than three times the number of colonies compared to when the species was listed. Wood storks now inhabit the coastal plains of Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. They have adapted to new nesting areas, moving north into coastal salt marshes, flooded rice fields, floodplain forest wetlands and human-created wetlands.
While the wood stork was historically concentrated in the Florida Everglades, South Carolina has played a large role in the bird’s recovery. As habitat loss impacted southern regions, the storks migrated north, finding refuge in South Carolina’s unique landscape of coastal salt marshes and floodplain forest wetlands.
Managed wetland, like the Donnelley Wildlife Managment Area, ACE Basin, and Botany Bay Plantation Wildlife Management Area have provided the consistent water levels the birds require for successful breeding, allowing South Carolina to host a significant percentage of the nation’s total nesting colonies.
The delisting reflects a policy focus on results-driven wildlife management and the reduction of federal restrictions. By removing the wood stork from the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the responsibility for managing the species now returns to state agencies like the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR).
Officials noted that the wood stork’s ability to adapt to human-created wetlands and new geographic areas in the Carolinas was a primary factor in the decision to remove federal protections.
Despite the delisting, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will implement a 10-year post-delisting monitoring plan. This ensures that the population remain stable as the birds continue to navigate environmental changes.
In South Carolina, biologists will continue to monitor active colonies in the ACE Basin and Santee Delta to ensure the species remains a permanent fixture of the state’s coastal ecosystem.
