American Flamingo

In February, Audubon Florida organized an American Flamingo survey across the Sunshine State. This effort was coordinated through the Florida Flamingo Working Group as part of a larger effort by the Caribbean Flamingo Conservation Group to census all American Flamingos throughout their range from February 18-25, 2024.

More than 40 people filled out the survey to record 101 wild American Flamingos across Florida. The largest group (50+) was spotted in Florida Bay; 18 were counted in the Pine Island area, with another 14 at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

“We are thrilled that there are flamingos that have remained in Florida after being blown here in 2023 by Hurricane Idalia. I actually suspect that 100 flamingos is the floor of this new population, and there could be more that were not counted during the one-week survey. We are continually monitoring for breeding flamingos.” — Jerry Lorenz, PhD, State director of research for Audubon Florida

Did you know? Under a new partnership with Discovery Cove, Orlando, 5% of proceeds from their Flamingo Mingle experience goes straight to Audubon Florida for our conservation and restoration efforts.

Roseate Spoonbill

The Everglades Science Center completed their annual surveys for nesting Roseate Spoonbills in Florida Bay. Similar to the past two years, water levels in vital foraging areas did not dry down to lower than 13 cm. This is a critical threshold—when water levels are higher than 13 cm, spoonbills have a hard time feeding their hungry chicks. As a result, we saw low nesting success again this year. Center staff also outfitted two adult spoonbills with transmitters—the data these birds will share over the next few years will provide a better understanding of their movement patterns and population in Florida Bay.

This article was published in the 2024 Summer Naturalist magazine. Click here to read the full magazine.