More Than a Century Ago, Flamingos Disappeared From Florida. Now, They're Coming Home

[Judi Lynn]

More Than a Century Ago, Flamingos Disappeared From Florida. Now, They’re Coming Home

Likely transported by Hurricane Idalia last August, more than 100 of the pink birds were counted in a February census in the Sunshine State, where they are considered a native species

Sarah Kuta
Daily Correspondent

June 7, 2024 2:47 p.m.



Flamingos were nearly hunted to extinction for their feathers by the early 1900s. But, thanks in part to conservation and habitat restoration efforts, they're making a comeback in Florida. This flamingo was spotted in Miami Beach in 2018. Joe Raedle / Getty Images


Flamingo branding is everywhere in Florida, from cocktail straws and tourist t-shirts to hotel names and the Florida Lottery logo. But the real-life pink birds have been largely missing from the Sunshine State since the early 1900s, when hunters nearly drove them to extinction in the quest for their fashionable—and highly profitable—plumage.

Now, however, flamingos seem to be returning to Florida. Birders recorded 101 wild American flamingo sightings across the state in February, according to recently released figures from Audubon Florida. That count included more than 50 in Florida Bay, 18 in the Pine Island area and 14 at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Conservationists believe many of these birds were carried into the state on the winds of Hurricane Idalia in August 2023. (The storm blew flamingos to other surprising places, too, including northern states like Wisconsin.)

Flamingos have touched down in Florida after storms in the past, but they usually don’t stick around for long. This time, birders and wildlife biologists are crossing their fingers that the lanky, salmon-colored creatures are there to stay.

More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-than-a-century-ago-flamingos-disappeared-from-florida-now-theyre-coming-home-180984492/

[rockbluff botanist]

1. St. Marks Wildlife Refuge near Tallahassee

We have 2 flamingos here in the Florida panhandle at St Mark's Refuge. They are seen quite often. We've been able to photograph them from the road as they walk in the lagoon searching for crustaceans. They have been here for several years now.

[Easterncedar]

2. There was one on Cape Cod last week

It’s got a long way home.