![]() ![]() The long and short of the story is that Conchy has proven that Florida sustains a year-round, permanent population of flamingos, helping cement the notion that these are actually native birds. However, to everybody’s surprise, Conchy stayed in Florida! He took up with a flock of flamingos in Florida Bay, where he has stayed on and off since. The dominant theory was that Conchy would return to Cuba, the Bahamas, or another tropical destination once he was released. So the Navy called in Zoo Miami, who captured and tagged Conchy. The Navy often uses explosives or firearms to scare away birds (so they don’t get sucked into a jet engine, which would be bad news for everybody), but Conchy refused to leave. In fact, researchers combed through the journals of the great bird watcher John James Audubon, who had reported seeing massive flocks of flamingos during his time in Florida.Īnother recent development was the capture of the flamingo known as Conchy, who was captured on the Navy base off Key West. Ornithologists long believed that flamingos in the Sunshine State were vagrant birds that had migrated from the Bahamas or other Caribbean islands, but recent research suggests that these birds are native Floridians. Are Flamingos Native to Florida?įor a long time, people assumed that flamingos were not native to Florida. SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom all have well-kept flocks of flamingos on their properties that offer visitors a chance to get great photos of these remarkable birds. If you’d like to see flamingos without venturing all the way into the Everglades, there are several easily accessible and family-friendly places to find these gorgeous birds throughout the state. These trips into the more accessible parts of Florida tend to happen in the spring months of March and April, but they can be found throughout the year in the Everglades. However, they have occasionally been spotted in the Florida Keys, and even as far north as Lake Okeechobee, where a huge flock landed for a few days in 2014. In Florida, the best place to see flamingos is in the Everglades National Park, which is a premier destination for bird enthusiasts of all stripes. In some flamingo habitats, the introduction of fish into the ecosystem has caused the birds to migrate elsewhere, seeking food sources with less competition. Flamingos prefer to live in locations where there are not many fish, as they share prey: both fish and flamingos like to eat marine invertebrates. Sadly, they were hunted nearly to extinction in the fervor of the 1800s however, in a hopeful sign, these remarkable avians have made a solid return in recent years.įlamingos like to live in saline or alkaline lakes or river estuaries with minimal vegetation. America’s tropical state seems like a natural place to see and enjoy these beautiful and colorful birds, and in fact, these birds are a native part of the ecosystem of Florida. Florida’s Fabulous Fowl: Flamingosįlorida and flamingos seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly. They have also been spotted in the Florida Keys and on rare occasions as far north as Lake Okeechobee.ĭo flamingos migrate to Florida? Do they have a year-round presence anywhere? How tall are flamingos? What do flamingos like to eat? In this post, you will learn the answers to these questions and more. The best places to see flamingos are in the Everglades or in shallow waters, alkaline lakes, estuaries, and mangroves in south Florida. Where can one go to see these fun, flamboyant birds?įlamingos prefer to congregate in far southern Florida. One of the most popular birds associated with Florida is the flamingo. Florida is America’s tropical paradise: warm, sunny, and full of fascinating birds and wildlife the Sunshine State is a great place to see all kinds of interesting nature. ![]()
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