10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2013

It is one of three species of ani ( Groove-billed and Greater Anis are the other two) and together form a unique branch in the cuckoo family. Smooth-billed Anis were relative newcomers as breeders to Florida, having only begun nesting since the 1930s. During this time, southern Florida was in a state of ecological chaos.

Florida 189

Florida Virgin Islands Miami Breeders 189

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2020

North America is home to many amazing bird species, including several which require a special effort to see and appreciate. In the summer, they are the highest altitude breeding songbird in North America. Due to their beauty and warbling song, poachers trap these buntings in South Florida for an illegal local cagebird trade.

America 262

America Arizona North America Texas 262

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2016

Florida Caverns State Park is known for one, quite obvious thing: the caverns. This fall, I stopped at Florida Caverns with two friends who had never visited before. This tiny species breeds north of Florida but returns to spend the winter here as well as in Central and South America.

Florida 100

Florida South America Birds Woodpeckers 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2024

She enjoys seeing all species of birds, but her favorites are hummingbirds. Back in March, in Southwestern Florida, my husband (non-birder and good sport) and I drove to Big Cypress National Preserve. A Palm Warbler , in breeding plumage, hopped onto the end of our table. We traveled along Alligator Alley.

Alligators 174

Alligators Woodpeckers Turkey Florida 174

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. Many visitors who come through Orlando or Tampa see maybe eight or ten species on a winter trip.

Florida 171

Florida Miami Stray United States 171

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2014

Although many South Florida specialties can be seen throughout the year such as White-crowned Pigeon and Snail Kite , most visiting birders decide to come in the months of April and May in search of summer migrants or secretive birds that only vocalize during the breeding season. Migration starts very early in the sunshine state.

Florida 157

Florida Miami Bahamas Breeders 157

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.” Egyptian Goose, looking for handouts at Kendall-Baptist Hospital, by Carlos Sanchez.

Florida 193

Florida Miami Bolivia Alligators 193

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. For my post this week, I wanted to take a moment to marvel at the impressive range of this super cool species. My Bufflehead sightings underscore how flexible some of these species can be in their habitat preference.

Florida 105

Florida Alaska Cuba United States 105

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2016

Of course, I contacted Carlos Sanchez , alleged south Florida birder extraordinaire, to maximize the returns on what time I could spend. We immediately headed to an undisclosed location where Carlos had breeding Mangrove Cuckoos staked out. We needed countable species! Let me get out of the car before making me look at birds!

Florida 117

Florida Miami Birds Owls 117

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. No matter how many times I see them, this particular species remains breathtaking.

Pelicans 225

Pelicans United States Arizona Canada 225

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2023

Pelee National Park – Ohio Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge – Texas These locations offer a variety of habitats including marshes, wetlands, forests, coastal areas, and deserts, attracting numerous bird species throughout the year. Please note that the availability of specific bird species may vary depending on the season.

United States 162

United States Michigan Texas Virginia 162

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2021

The Purple Swamphen now is considered a superspecies, with each of its six races are designated full species – and in the strange world of birding, a superspecies is rather less than a species, not more. This is despite the most likely African origin of the species. Swamphen yes, but Grey-headed? Again: Grey-headed?

China 258

China Kenya Florida India 258

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2012

If you have been out birding in southeast Florida there is a good chance that you have run into him in the field. Over twenty species of wood-warbler may be recorded in a single winter in Miami-Dade County, with several more species recorded regularly in Monroe and Broward. That’s right.

Florida 158

Florida Miami Cuba Bahamas 158

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 171

Florida New York City Dominica United States 171

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 18, 2014

Fish and Wildlife Service has listed the “Rufa” population of Red Knot ( Calidris canutus rufa ) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The other sub-species, Calidris canutus roselaari , migrates along the Pacific Coast and breeds in Alaska and the Wrangel Island in Russia. Photo: Ron Knight.

Endangered Species 160

Endangered Species Protection Delaware Species 160

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2023

Terns of North America covers 19 species of terns, noddies, and skimmers that breed and are regular vagrants in the United States and Canada (like many books titled “North America” the geographical coverage stops at the northern end of the Mexico border). Note that these are not all species accounts!

North America 200

North America America Breeding Species 200

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 187

Florida South Africa 2011 Africa 187

10,000 Birds

APRIL 28, 2024

Warblers, thrushes, buntings, and other migrants move across the Gulf of Mexico in an extremely stressful, marathon flight from the Yucatan Peninsula to the Gulf Coast of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida before spreading throughout the flyways and heading north.

Texas 204

Texas Alabama Alligators Nashville 204

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 209

Dominican Republic Puerto Rico Miami Florida 209

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 185

Florida Miami Breeders Tampa 185

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

Miami, Florida has a reputation among the birding community for being overrun with exotic bird species. However, the typical birding experience for someone down here also includes a large menagerie of other species such as Orange-winged Parrot , Mitred Parakeet , Egyptian Goose and Nutmeg Mannikin. It is well-deserved.

Miami 196

Miami Asia Florida Malaysia 196

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2014

I was happy to read that the wood stork ( Mycteria Americana ), a bird near and dear to me, was down-sited from the status of endangered to threatened species. Fish and Wildlife Service is down-listing the wood stork from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). However, birds in the U.S. Photo: U.S.

North Carolina 194

North Carolina Bald Eagle South Carolina Florida 194

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). This tail bobber is a common species of mangroves and any other wet spot in the lowlands. Cloud Forest near San Ramon.

Costa Rica 225

Costa Rica Kentucky Louisiana Parrots 225

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 233

Owls Florida Raised Coyotes 233

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 Mice Birds Breeding 157

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2014

There’s a new proposal before the American Ornithologists’ Union’s North American Classification Committee to split Painted Bunting into two species (yay! — maybe, more later) and to name the new species “Eastern Painted Bunting” and “Western Painted Bunting” (no!).

Mississippi 268

Mississippi Mexico Alabama North Carolina 268

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2015

In February of 2013, I wrote a piece outlining my thoughts on which exotic bird species should be added to the American Bird Association (ABA) checklist. 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.

Los Angeles 154

Los Angeles Miami San Francisco San Antonio 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. Photo Credit: Invasive and Exotic Species of North America (www.invasive.org).

Pythons 180

Pythons Florida Mammals Reptiles 180

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 217

Florida South America Bolivia Eggs 217

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

This spurred her to pursue a career in environmental education and wildlife nature tourism as a park ranger in Texas and as the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail Coordinator with Florida Fish and Wildlife. About half of all breeding Wandering Albatross nest on the Prince Edward Islands. and seabirders.

South Africa 263

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 263

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 Deer Eggs Protection 100

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. And by similar, I mean the species and abundance of shorebirds and gulls.

Chile 188

Chile Peru South America Florida 188

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2014

Despite our near constant doom-and-gloom prognostications we still manage to see wood-warblers, though most of April is spent looking at the several species that are early arrivals, mostly species that winter in the southeastern United States and therefore can get back to we northeasterns rather quickly.

New York 220

New York United States New York City Louisiana 220

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 25, 2015

Plus, there was once a time when I couldn’t tell a tern from a gull, let alone differentiate between species. I’ve seen Forster’s Terns and Common Terns , but one particular species was fast becoming a nemesis bird: the Black Tern. Black Tern in Breeding Plumage. Black Tern in Non-Breeding Plumage.

South America 160

South America Breeding Florida Protection 160

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 141

Florida Mexico Protection Pelicans 141

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2023

In total, there are eight species of hornbills in Borneo – the best place to see them seems to be the Kinabatagan River area (also known as Sukau). Another paper reviews information on Oriental Pied Hornbills raiding the nests of various bird species in Singapore and even pet bird cages.

Rhinoceros 126

Rhinoceros Singapore Transported Hunting 126

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2017

My friend Savanna and I rose at dawn, gulped down coffee and then hit the best birding hotspots on Cedar Key, wracking up hundreds of summer species before lunchtime. Many species had left for breeding in more northerly climates, and those that remained hid out in cool spots until saner temperatures reigned in the morning and evening.

Florida 135

Florida Wildlife Fish Game 135