WONDERS OF STORKS

There are storks aplenty, in black-and-white photos and brief encyclopedia-like entries, but no sense of wonder in this businesslike rundown. First comes a quick catalogue of the 19 different species; then a chapter on their widely varying feeding behavior (""As seems to be the case with most carnivorous animals, the availability of food is probably an important factor that limits the range, longevity, breeding success, and population numbers of the various stork species""); another on nesting and breeding; and a discussion of their limited, irregular migration patterns. Kahl assembles considerable data on storks in a convenient look-it-up package; but his summary-like style is dull and dry, abounding in such abstract terms as ""predation pressure"" and ""varying modes of foraging behavior."" Utilitarian.