Annmarie Vollmar, age 10, of Biloxi, Miss., for her question:

ARE THERE MANY KINDS OF STORKS?

Stork is the popular name for a family of 17 species of birds, the Ciconiidae, which is related to the herons. The only members of the family inhabiting North America are the wood stork, formerly called the wood ibis and found in the southern United States, and the jabiru stork, which lives from southern Mexico to Argentina.

The wood stork is about three and a half feet long and has a black head with a bare neck. The wings and tail are partly black and therest of the plumage is white. Wood storks gather in large flocks and they nest in colonies.

Storks generally are large birds with long legs, toes webbed at the base and strong, straight, pointed bills that are longer than their heads.

The common white stork is a migratory native of the Old World and is found in many parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. The stork frequents marshy places, feeding on eels and other fish, amphibians, reptiles, young birds and small mammals. It makes crude nests of sticks and reeds on tops of tall trees, ruins or disused chimneys.

In Europe, old chimneys seem to be favorite places for nests. Many people say it is an indication that good luck is on the way when a stork builds its nest on top of a chimney.