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South Florida Recognized for International Importance to Birds

Prestigious Global Important Bird Area Status Bestowed on Everglades National Park and Sites along Biscayne Bay

The NationalAudubon Society and BirdLife International have recognized Everglades National Park and the Biscayne Bay Important Bird Area as Globally Significant Important Bird Areas (IBA). 

Everglades National Park hosts vital nesting habitat for wading birds like the rare Reddish Egret, the most threatened egret in the United States. The Biscayne Bay IBA includes Biscayne Bay National Park, Crandon Park on Key Biscayne, Matheson Hammock and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Parks, and the Deering Estate at Cutler. A broad range of migratory shorebirds and songbirds rely on the habitat these protected conservation areas provide and Crandon Park’s beach hosts a globally significant number of endangered Piping Plovers

“Global IBAs encompass the most important places on earth for the protection of globally endangered bird species such as the Piping Plover and the Cerulean Warbler,”said Marianne Korosy, Ph.D., Audubon’s Important Bird Area Coordinator.  

Global IBAs are the most important sites for birds on aninternationalscale, measured by a rigorous set of scientific criteria and peer-reviewedby a panel of international bird experts. With the addition of this IBA, there are now 42 Global IBAs identifiedinFlorida. Only California, with 81 Global IBAs, exceeds Florida in the number of Global IBAs.

More than 4.5 million people live within an hour’s drive from Everglades National Park and the parks and preserves within the Biscayne Bay IBA.

The greatest threats to birds in the Biscayne Bay IBA are water quality changes caused by too much, or too little, freshwater flow into estuaries, as well as habitat loss to coastal development, and disturbance to resting flocks of shorebirds on public beaches. Everglades National Park’s ecosystem continues to suffer from decades of diminished freshwater flow and introduction of exotic plants and nuisance animals such as pythons and other constrictor snakes.

“Biscayne Bay is the heart of Miami. The azure blue waters of the Bay with birds elegantly flying overheard are iconic to the South Florida landscape,” said Celeste De Palma, Audubon’s Everglades Policy Associate. “As a volunteer working at the Cape Florida Banding Station, I am a witness to the variety and number of migratory songbirds that utilize the park as a stopover on their journeys, and the importance of these type of urban oases for wildlife. Adding Biscayne Bay to the Global IBAs highlights the value of this habitat for migratory songbirds and other wildlife.”

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