10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2021

Unlike so many other beloved North American bird species, their populations have been relatively stable since the mid-20th century, hovering around 44 million breeding birds. I never tired of watching them, and miss my morning goldfinch ritual now that I’m back in Florida.

Species 264

Species United States Florida Birds 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2014

It is also a good description of the birding in southernmost Florida. Sure, Miami and the Florida Keys do not boast any endemics ( ‘Cape Sable’ Seaside Sparrow is close) at the species level. Few birders realize how many warblers actually do winter in southernmost Florida — even long time birders within the state.

Florida 172

Florida Miami United States Stray 172

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2013

The current situation with exotic bird species in Florida is in a state of flux, particularly southeast Florida where the bulk of exotic bird diversity in the United States resides — and much of it “uncountable.”

Florida 200

Florida Miami Bolivia Parrots 200

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2015

Within one week, I saw Bufflehead over 1,200 miles apart, first in Maine, and then along the Florida Panhandle. They breed in Canada and Alaska, but in the summer they can be found across the United States, as far south as Florida, Cuba, and into Mexico, and as far north as the Pacific coast of Alaska and the Atlantic coast of Maine.

Florida 107

Florida Alaska Cuba United States 107

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2020

Breeding only above treeline on windswept and desolate rock faces (or equally austere habitats on the Aleutians), the three American rosy-finches (Gray-crowned, Black, and Brown-capped) are extreme environment specialists that are endemic to North America. In the summer, they are the highest altitude breeding songbird in North America.

America 264

America Arizona North America Texas 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Cloud, Florida, Doug, with whom I had been birding all day long, found a Yellow-throated Warbler foraging behind us. The Yellow-throated Warbler is a wood-warbler that breeds almost exclusively in the southeastern United States. They winter in Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America.

Florida 174

Florida New York City Dominica United States 174

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2022

For the past few years, they’ve been mere acquaintances, passing through North Florida on their way to who knows where. They migrate north through the Western United States, breeding in pockets all the way up through Canada. I’ve made some new friends in 2022.

Pelicans 235

Pelicans United States Canada Arizona 235

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / The plovers of Estero Lagoon, Florida The plovers of Estero Lagoon, Florida By James • March 8, 2011 • 1 comment Tweet Share For as long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated by shorebirds.

Florida 194

Florida South Africa 2011 Africa 194

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2023

The Kirtland’s Warbler is an endangered bird species that breeds primarily in the jack pine forests of northern Michigan. Specifically, the warbler’s primary breeding range is concentrated in a few counties in the northern Lower Peninsula and the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

United States 162

United States Michigan Texas Virginia 162

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2021

The logic goes like this: Grey-headed Swamphen are an invasive species that has spread in Florida from a few escapees, and is now fairly widespread in South Florida after initial eradication programs failed. Some people want Grey-headed Swamphens to be gone from Florida (photo taken in China, though).

China 261

China Florida Kenya India 261

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014

Sure, we also have Common Myna and Boat-tailed Grackle which would be pretty special to most who do not live in Florida. Gray Kingbird perched on a Gumbo Limbo Tree, another typical West Indian species native to South Florida. By the end of September, the territorial birds that breed in the local parking lots are gone.

Dominican Republic 216

Dominican Republic Miami Puerto Rico Florida 216

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2013

I always like to see the look of surprise on a visiting birder’s face when I tell them that the Prairie Warblers and Yellow Warblers in southern Florida are restricted to mangrove habitats. Everyone, I would like you to meet the ‘Florida’ Prairie Warbler ( S. Petersburg area on the west coast.

Florida 189

Florida Breeders Miami Tampa 189

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2014

The wood stork was listed as endangered in 1984, because the Florida population was dropping at an approximate rate of 5 percent per year. The wood stork occurs and breeds in Central and South America. As Secretary Jewell put it, it did not take just the Fish and Wildlife Service to get the stork to breed and produce more young.

North Carolina 200

North Carolina Bald Eagle South Carolina Florida 200

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

Miami, Florida has a reputation among the birding community for being overrun with exotic bird species. Common Hill Myna’s range in South Florida. From experience, these primarily frugivorous birds do show local movements that may depend on the local ripening of fruit outside the breeding season. It is well-deserved.

Miami 203

Miami Asia Florida Malaysia 203

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2013

Broward County has one of the highest densities of Burrowing Owls in Florida. The Florida sub-species of Burrowing Owl is now classified as a threatened species in Florida and it is one of the rarest sub-species of Burrowing Owls. This is unfortunately an all too common problem for these owls in Florida.

Owls 240

Owls Florida Raised Coyotes 240

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2015

I have now officially moved to the Emerald Coast of Florida, a beautiful region on the Florida Panhandle. I am within one of Florida’s sub-tropical zones, and my birding experiences have expanded, with life birds galore. The largest of the three species was the Ruddy Turnstone , in between its breeding and non-breeding plumage.

Florida 157

Florida Birds Mice Breeding 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2015

My number one choice at the time was Egyptian Goose ( Alopochen aegyptiacus ), an adaptable sheldgoose from Africa that was rapidly becoming established in peninsular Florida. In 2014, the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee (FOSRC) voted to add this species to the Florida state list. They are excellent parents!

Los Angeles 154

Los Angeles Miami San Francisco Florida 154

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2015

The invasive Burmese Python ( Python molurus ) is well established in the Florida Everglade. Another species of Python, the African Python ( Python sebae ) has established a small population in the 2,877-acre Bird Drive Area (BDA) in South Florida. Featured Image: Bird Basin Area in South South Florida. Reptiles'

Pythons 183

Pythons Florida Mammals Reptiles 183

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2016

The magnificent, adorable, and dangerous breeding season for both shorebirds and seabirds along the Florida Panhandle. I saw the first sign of the impending breeding season on the beach at Deer Lake State Park. Soon, these ropes and signs will be on nearly all the breeding beaches, plus a few bridges and rooftops to boot.

Florida 100

Florida Eggs Deer Protection 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2014

There are two Painted Bunting populations, one that breeds along the Atlantic Coast from North Carolina to Florida and one that breeds in the interior United States and northern Mexico from southeastern New Mexico to western Mississippi. The Atlantic Coast population lingers on the breeding grounds after nesting to molt.

Mississippi 272

Mississippi Mexico Alabama North Carolina 272

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2020

As the cold fronts begin to sweep through the northern states ushering in a wave of seasonal change and color, South Florida becomes a gathering place for migratory birds far and wide across the country. Black-bellied Plover is a common migrant in South Florida, occurring at both inland and coastal sites. One is the weather.

Florida 258

Florida Miami Birds Falcons 258

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2016

While on a tour of Rookery Bay near the Florida Everglades, I was reminded of this lovely personality trait once more. Unlike many other estuaries in this part of Florida, Rookery Bay is protected by the Estuarine Research Reserve system, and remains almost entirely undeveloped.

Florida 143

Florida Mexico Protection Pelicans 143

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

Over the last weekend, I was at Lake Kissimmee in Florida, observing Snail Kites at an area kites were not present or rare just a few years ago. The threat of extinction of such iconic Florida bird prompted State and Federal agencies to find solutions to stop and reverse the declining trend. Kites now nest there and are fairly common.

Florida 225

Florida South America Eggs Bolivia 225

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2013

He now wakes up to the choruses of Northern Cardinals and Northern Mockingbirds in sunny Vero Beach, Florida. This photo could have been taken in Florida’s Treasure Coast during the winter months or in South America during the same period. Florida is a rather long state. Photo: Joseph Huaroto. Photo: Alastair Rae.

Chile 192

Chile Peru South America Florida 192

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 25, 2017

We felt awash in blues as our tour boat skirted the waves to anchor near a shallow sand flat off of Key West, Florida. I should not have been too surprised to see them; American White Pelicans winter in Florida and I had already counted dozens of their brown cousins diving into the colorful waves. Mangrove island near Key West.

Pelicans 100

Pelicans Sharks Florida Groups 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 25, 2015

Black Tern in Breeding Plumage. Black Terns do not breed or over-winter in Florida, they merely migrate through on their way to Central and South America. In terms of looks, their breeding plumage is the polar opposite of all other tern species: a deep ebony, truly striking. Black Tern in Non-Breeding Plumage.

Breeding 160

Breeding South America Florida Protection 160

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 18, 2014

One of the two sub-species of Red Knot occurring in North America, the Rufa subspecies breeds in the Canadian Artic Region and migrates along the east or Atlantic coast of the United States. The other sub-species, Calidris canutus roselaari , migrates along the Pacific Coast and breeds in Alaska and the Wrangel Island in Russia.

Endangered Species 160

Endangered Species Protection Delaware Species 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2016

I love when my parents come to visit me in Florida. Though barely 20 acres, the park serves as permanent, breeding, or migratory habitat for nearly 200 birds species, as well as Osprey nests and a Great Blue Heron rookery. Given this, I am always happy to see them in Florida and across their range.

Florida 100

Florida Mammals 2010 Mexico 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2014

What we don’t get to hear is them singing, as they seem to only sing once they reach their breeding grounds. Yellow-throated Warblers are another species that tends to overshoot, though recent reports indicate that it might be in the process of establishing a breeding population in New York.

New York 227

New York United States New York City Breeding 227

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 25, 2021

A lot of birds take a shorter trip to Florida and the Caribbean, many spend the winter in southern Mexico, and some species even fly all the way to southern Amazonia (this drink is for you Veerys). Similar to its behavior on its breeding grounds, this warbler mostly forages in dead leaf clusters. Worm-eating Warbler.

Costa Rica 235

Costa Rica Kentucky Louisiana Species 235

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 11, 2014

This is perhaps the best place in Florida to find a rare gull for the state and though I had no luck picking a vagrant California Gull out of the teeming hordes I did enjoy myself as much as I did back in 2012. … Birds Daytona Beach Florida gulls Laughing Gull Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival'

Florida 197

Florida Panama Wildlife 2014 197

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2015

Brown Pelicans in non-breeding plumage. Both are the only Pelican in their non-overlapping breeding grounds. Peruvian Pelican in non-breeding plumage. Brown Pelican in Breeding Plumage. Peruvian Pelican in breeding plumage, photo: Olaf (Creative Commons – Flickr).

Pelicans 157

Pelicans North America Peru Fish 157

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2012

Nonetheless, this bird is one of the most interesting species in the avifauna of southeast Florida for many reasons — an interesting biology that parallels that of several pigeon species in the Old World Tropics as well as its limited distribution in the state.

Florida 164

Florida Miami Bahamas Mexico 164

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2014

We assembled at nine in the morning in a small parking lot outside the naval base in Key West, Florida. The park is home to not one, not two, but large three colonies of breeding seabirds: the Brown Noddy , Magnificent Frigatebird , and Sooty Tern. Dry Tortugas National Park: Bird Banding Sooty Terns. Lots and lots of birds.

Birds 181

Birds Florida Groups Breeding 181

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2012

There I found a study which showed that the ingenious little birds had found a protein source that allowed them to coincide their breeding with times of man-made, rather than natural seasonal abundance. For example, the Nutmeg Munia, Lonchura punctulata , has managed to maintain a presence in California and Florida for some years.

Asia 193

Asia Feral Breeding Africa 193

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2016

Baltimore Orioles spend their winters in Florida, Central, and South America, and migrate north to breed in much of the Eastern United States. Baltimore Orioles breed in open woodlands or forest edges , preferring deciduous trees. We turn our eyes and binoculars to the canopy, where we peer through the thick, green foliage.

Maryland 104

Maryland Baltimore United States Legislature 104

10,000 Birds

MARCH 26, 2012

In fact, prior to my visit to Florida in January for the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival, I had never seen an Anhinga at all save one lousy look in Honduras back in 2009. And their plumage, especially their breeding finery, is a sight to see. And, like cormorants, they provide a nice photo-op when doing so.

Florida 174

Florida Honduras Turkey Wildlife 174