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 224

Florida Miami Bolivia Alligators 224

Critter News

DECEMBER 2, 2011

Animal-rights activists claim an orca is being held in an "inadequate tank" in the Miami Seaquarium. They sued the National Marine Fisheries Service for excluding captive killer whales from listing under the Endangered Species Act. Read the rest of the article in the Courthouse News Service.

Miami 100

Miami Animal Legal Defense Fund Ethical Treatment Whales 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2014

Sure, Miami and the Florida Keys do not boast any endemics ( ‘Cape Sable’ Seaside Sparrow is close) at the species level. Magnolia Warbler is an annual winter resident in small numbers in Miami-Dade, FL. . Many visitors who come through Orlando or Tampa see maybe eight or ten species on a winter trip.

Florida 174

Florida Miami Stray United States 174

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

The brilliant orange coloration and rich, haunting song of the Spot-breasted Oriole ( Icterus pectoralis ) makes this species one of my favorite permanent residents in southeastern Florida, even though it is an introduced exotic. How can an introduced species be a favorite among birders? Don’t they compete with native birds?

Miami 186

Miami Costa Rica Florida 2005 186

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. In 2014, the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee (FOSRC) voted to add this species to the Florida state list. The ABA Checklist Committee quickly followed suit.

Los Angeles 154

Los Angeles Miami San Francisco San Antonio 154

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2012

Autumn migration gets off to an inauspicious start in Miami-Dade with the appearance of a small selection of passerines at local migrant traps at mid-July. August continues the theme of low diversity and numbers, with only a smattering of new species in addition to those mentioned above such as Yellow-throated Vireo and Worm-eating Warbler.

Miami 210

Miami Florida 2011 2012 210

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. According to the Florida Breeding Bird Atlas, the first confirmed breeding record was in Miami in July of 1938. Petersburg area and Cape Canaveral.

Florida 221

Florida Virgin Islands Miami Breeders 221

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2012

Carlos Sanchez is an excellent birder, a Miami resident, and a polyglot. Matheson to preserve the wild and natural beauty of the area , this venerable park is the oldest in Miami-Dade County. It even contains, dare I say, a little bit of history (by Miami standards, anyways) in the form of structures and old walls made of coral.

Miami 163

Miami Florida Pelicans Birds 163

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2013

Although both species are widespread in North America as breeders in shrubby edge habitats, that is not the case in the southern half of the sunshine state (the more northerly race of Prairie Warbler is an uncommon breeder in the panhandle). Everyone, I would like you to meet the ‘Florida’ Prairie Warbler ( S.

Florida 211

Florida Miami Breeders Tampa 211

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2012

Carlos Sanchez is an excellent birder, a Miami resident, and a polyglot. 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. During the winter, southeast Florida becomes the wood-warbler capital of the ABA area.

Florida 160

Florida Miami Cuba Bahamas 160

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2013

And in modern times, that football powerhouse the University of Miami has as it’s mascot a tough-looking White Ibis, known locally as a “ Hurricane Bird ” for it’s bravery (some may say stupidity) in riding out those massive storms. The group has a worldwide distribution; 28 species living and two additional extinct.

North America 240

North America Charlotte Birds Miami 240

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2020

Luis Gonzalez is a Miami resident and IT major who was originally born and raised in Cuba. Luis is an avid eBirder and he likes to keep a good record of his lists, photograph as many species as he can, and he encourages others to do the same. Does that number seem a bit high for a winter count in the US? Why was it me?

Canada 189

Canada Cuba Miami Florida 189

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2016

Crandon Park, on the island just off the coast of Miami, Fla., is home to a few exotic species. In the moderate warmth of a Miami morning, he was able to sustain his fan under light cloud for longer than my camera battery could last.

Miami 123

Miami Battery Zoos India 123

10,000 Birds

APRIL 12, 2013

Brown-crested Flycatcher ( Myiarchus tyrannulus ) is a widespread bird species of scrub and wooded habitats with a range extending from southern Texas and the southwestern United States, through Central America, and down south all the way to northern Argentina. In Florida, the species shows up annually (and in multiples!)

Florida 205

Florida United States Texas Alligators 205

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2011

Miami and Los Angeles were also major importation hubs, and populations of Aratinga mitrata are well established in those areas. They are a temperate zone species, found at high elevations, so they are somewhat cold-adapted. The population may also be supplemented by releases of pet birds.

New York City 241

New York City Los Angeles New York South America 241

10,000 Birds

JUNE 18, 2015

This bat is rare and range-restricted in South Florida, which are some of the reasons it was recently listed as an endangered under the Endangered Species Act. floridanus constitutes a separate species ( Eumops floridanus); a bat with one of the most restricted ranges. ounces, a body length of 6.5 inches, and a wingspan of 21 inches.

Bats 168

Bats Florida Endangered Species Cuba 168

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

Many Nearctic species and families reach their southern terminus in the Northern Central American Highlands, such as Common Raven , Red Crossbill , Steller’s Jay , and even Brown Creeper. Alex also masterfully worked another tricky species into view for us during that first afternoon, Ruddy Crake (a close relative of the Black Rail ).

Honduras 244

Honduras El Salvador Costa Rica Arizona 244

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. Is this the closest equivalent to a tramp species in the Americas?

Florida 187

Florida Miami Bahamas Mexico 187

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2013

Much like how Everglades National Park flanks the western border of metropolitan Miami, Florida, Saguaro National Park flanks both the eastern and western outskirts of Tucson, making for easy access to residents and tourists alike who spend time in that city. Many bird species were observed feeding in the blooms of these cacti.

Arizona 169

Arizona Tucson Miami Shelters 169

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2013

One of the perks about living in Miami is that plane tickets to the bird-rich Caribbean, Central, and South America are often cheaper than going to places like Arizona, Colorado, or California. I made my way to the coast to Hotel Jamaican Colors just north of Manchioneal for the night having seen 23 of my target species already.

Jamaica 192

Jamaica Puerto Rico 2013 Cuba 192

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2016

On my recent short family vacation to Miami, I was granted a single day to get out and really bird like a madman. The reason the location is remaining undisclosed is that reliable Mangrove Cuckoos are difficult to find in the American Birding Association area and are a very sought after species. We needed countable species!

Florida 139

Florida Miami Birds Owls 139

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. In any case, our hang-ups with vultures clearly stem from our own issues rather than any inherently bizarre trait of the species themselves. Vultures famously feed on carrion. Dead things. New World Vultures.

California Condor 209

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 209

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Various smaller bird species which are not seen easily later in the day also make an appearance at the break of dawn, and and as February turns into March, their singing becomes more incessant and forms a significant part in the wetland dawn chorus – White-eyed Vireo , Great Crested Flycatcher , Carolina Wren , and Northern Cardinal.

Wildlife 149

Wildlife Alligators Miami Florida 149

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 9, 2012

Everybody knew ducks, but flamingos represented travel — especially, in those days, to Florida, where the trend of naming things after the species you extirpated to put those things there was already taking strong hold. Flamingos represented Vegas and Miami and pre-Castro Cuba.

Cuba 154

Cuba Miami Massachusetts Penguins 154

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2014

Before settling down and setting up breeding territories, both of these species can be somewhat sporadic and hard to pin down for a birding trip. Although arriving at around the same time, the departure dates for both of these species are quite different. Birds at sites such as small airports linger until the end of August.

Florida 157

Florida Miami Bahamas Breeders 157

Critter News

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

Here is a synopsis from a Brown University web site about his case : Matthew Block, of Worldwide Primates, Miami, FL, was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison, three years of supervised probation, and a $30,000 fine at a 2-day sentence hearing on April 16, 1993.

Primates 100

Primates 2002 2004 Miami 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 26, 2018

We did however gain an extra night, at our expense in Miami, Florida, all of which was in the dark, so I could not even run out and put a couple of birds on a Florida State List. By the time we had ended our visit on the island, I had racked up a total of 58 birds species, with 27 of them new birds on the Little Big Year list.

Bahamas 141

Bahamas Costa Rica Abandon Abandoning 141

Critter News

AUGUST 9, 2010

Winners First Place: Tammy Apostol, an independent designer in Miami, FL, for her “Green Organic Cotton Gown,” a strapless mermaid silhouette gown with a back train. BFUSA’s mission is to end suffering of wild animals in captivity, conserve threatened and endangered species, and encourage compassionate conservation globally.

Fur 100

Fur Animal Welfare Primates Cleveland 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2011

No need to page through dozens of plates of similar looking species anymore. With a library of every single bird on Earth at their disposal there will be an app that allows you to “create your own guide&# based on your location. Off to the Amazon? Download the relevant images and info into a location specific guide.

Burkina Faso 165

Burkina Faso 2011 Deer Birds 165

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2012

On December 11, 2012, an observer saw one at Government Cut in Miami-Dade right off the pier which was quickly followed by a sighting of three birds off Singer Island in Palm Beach, two birds filmed off Fort Lauderdale, and another bird photographed off of Crandon Beach in Key Biscayne — already an unprecedented number of records.

Florida 240

Florida Cuba Bahamas 2012 240

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2011

Like when Cleveland local Lebron James showed up in Miami and started playing basketball for the Heat. One such controversial bird is the Veraguan Mango , a small hummingbird species that was, until very recently, believed to be a Panamanian endemic. The same can be said of endemic basketball players and their patriotic fans.

Panama 236

Panama Costa Rica 2011 Cleveland 236

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 5, 2021

Dragonflies and Damselflies of Costa Rica: A Field Guide covers 113 damselfly species and 170 dragonfly species, a total of 283 species. Wait–that adds up to 290 species, but the book only covers 283. .* Wait–that adds up to 290 species, but the book only covers 283. Paulson, William A. INTRODUCTION.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica North America Family America 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 9, 2013

On a Big Year, every species counts equally, even the lowly House Sparrow. As of my writing this he is off to a roaring start with 169 species recorded already. Rangel Diaz is doing a big year in Miami-Dade County, Florida, hoping to reach 300 species, and keeping a blog about it. What records will fall in 2013?

2013 228

2013 Los Angeles New Jersey North Carolina 228

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Seeing as birds are extremely adaptable creatures as a whole, I have always found it interesting to see which bird species manage to make a living or even thrive among all the concrete, cars, and noise. In fact, several species in Miami-Dade are found exclusively in such habitats.

Miami 124

Miami Fast Food Florida Cattle 124

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2013

Mark Kirk and Alisha Belo are doing a southern Africa big year, trying to see 800 species. As of the end of March they had already reached a whopping 652 species ! Ali Iyoob is sitting pretty at 230 species in his North Carolina big year during which he is trying to break the state record of 351. Birding 2013 big year'

2013 213

2013 New Jersey North Carolina Canada 213

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2012

Red-necked Grebe by Carlos Sanchez My Best Bird of the Year was a Red-necked Grebe discovered in an urban pond in Tallahassee which lingered long enough for me to go and see it — a full 17 hour round trip drive from Miami. This bird represented only the second documented record of this species in Florida.

2012 173

2012 Guatemala Birds Florida 173

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2018

The Miami-Dade County Commission approved development of ‘the largest shopping mall in North America’ with a vote of 9-1 last week. This fragile ecosystem is home to 344 feathered species, 300 fish species (salt- and freshwater), 50 species of reptiles, 40 mammal species, and 36 listed species (threatened and/or protected).

Miami 168

Miami Las Vegas Alligators Minnesota 168