South Florida Specialties
South Florida’s avifauna is a unique blend of species from temperate regions to the north and neotropical regions to the south. Below are locations where many of these “specialty” birds, including Caribbean vagrants can be found. Except for a few Caribbean vagrants, each species has a Pic/ID link to a National Audubon Society reference. Some of the primarily neotropical birds, such as Anhinga and White Ibis, are so common in appropriate habitat that we don't list locations on this page.
Where Can I Find?
What about West Indian vagrants?
Need More Info?
A variety of birding and nature books are available on amazon.com, including Brian Rapoza's Birding Florida, which covers many birding locations throughout the state.
The Birds
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks are most likely at Stormwater Treatment Area 5 (STA-5), in Hendry County, but are also possible in the Everglades Agricultural Area and at STA-1E and Wakodahatchee and Green Cay Wetlands, in Palm Beach County.
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Fulvous Whistling-Duck
Fulvous Whistling-Ducks are most likely at Stormwater Treatment Area 5 (STA-5), in Hendry County, but are also possible in the Everglades Agricultural Area and STA-1E, in Palm Beach County.
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Egyptian Goose
This introduced species can be found along suburban canals and lakes, often with Muscovy Ducks and other introduced waterfowl. Reliable locations in Miami-Dade County include Crandon Gardens on Key Biscayne, Baptist Hospital, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens and Lake Laura (SW 137 Avenue/SW 82 Street in Kendale Lakes). In Broward County, try Plantation Preserve (7050 W Broward Blvd.), Tall Cypress Natural Area or Brian Piccolo Park. Pic/ID
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Mottled Duck
Mottled Ducks are likely at Dump Marsh and Cutler Wetlands, and are resident at Wakodahatchee and Green Cay Wetlands in Palm Beach County. Pic/ID
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White-cheeked Pintail
White-cheeked Pintails are resident throughout much of the Caribbean, but are only occasionally seen in Florida. It's also difficult to determine if individuals are escapees or true vagrants. The most recent sightings in south Florida have been from Naples in 2020 and Virginia Key in 2017. Pic/ID
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Masked Duck
Masked Ducks are resident in scattered locations throughout the Caribbean, but are only occasionally seen in Florida. The most recent sighting in south Florida was from the Gate 15 area of Everglades National Park in 2010; others have been found recently at locations in central Florida.
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Least Grebe
Least Grebes are resident throughout the Caribbean, but are only occasionally seen in Florida. The first sighting was at Blue Hole in Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge in Monroe County in 1988. Recent sightings have all been in Palm Beach County, including at Peaceful Waters Sanctuary and Green Cay Wetlands in 2019 and Yamato Scrub Natural Area in 2017. A pair of Least Grebes raised two chicks at this location in Fall, 2008.
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White-tailed Tropicbird
White-tailed Tropicbirds breed throughout the Caribbean, but are only rarely seen in Florida. Most sightings have been from the Dry Tortugas. Both White-tailed and Red-billed Tropicbirds are occasionally seen on pelagic trips off the eastern coast of south Florida.
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Masked Booby
Masked Boobies nest on Hospital Key in the Dry Tortugas.
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Brown Booby
Brown Boobies often perch on navigational light towers off the Florida Keys, including Molasses Reef Light off Key Largo, visited daily during the glass-bottom boat tour at John Pennekamp State Park. They often perch on Fowey Light, in Biscayne National Park; a boat is needed to reach this location. They can sometimes be seen on channel markers in the Dry Tortugas.
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Red-footed Booby
Red-footed Boobies breed on remote islands in scattered locations
throughout the Caribbean and are seen occasionally in Florida.
They are most often found in the Dry Tortugas bus have also been seen on light towers off the Miami-Dade coast.
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Neotropic Cormorant
Neotropic Cormorants are resident in the Bahamas and Cuba. The first verified sighting in Florida was from Boca Chica Beach, near Key West, in 2007. Others were found there in 2009 and 2014 through 2016. Since 2012, Neotropic Cormorants have been found during winter at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Palm Beach County; one or two have been seen on nests. They are now being reported at other Palm Beach locations, including Green Cay Wetlands, Loxahatchee NWR and at Peaceful Waters Sanctuary in Wellington. One was reported at Topeekeegee Yugnee Park in Broward from 2015-2017, another from Crandon Park on Key Biscayne in 2019.
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Magnificent Frigatebird
Magnificent Frigatebirds are most common during summer in the Florida peninsula and are easy to see on Key Biscayne. They roost on an island off Crandon Marina, to your right after you cross the Bear Cut Bridge onto Key Biscayne. They may be seen year-round in the Florida Keys and the Dry Tortugas.
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Least Bittern
Least Bitterns are more often heard than seen at locations such as
Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park. During spring and summer,
they are often conspicuous at Wakodahatchee and Green Cay Wetlands in Palm Beach County.
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Reddish Egret
Reddish Egrets prefer coastal beaches and mudflats. A reliable
location is at the Flamingo visitor center in Everglades National Park. Other locations include Gulf coast beaches such as Tigertail Beach on Marco Island.
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Roseate Spoonbill
Roseate Spoonbills can usually be seen at Paurotis Pond and Flamingo, and sometimes at Shark Valley, in Everglades National Park. During late summer, they often congregate in large numbers in the Everglades Agricultural Area in Palm Beach County.
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Wood Stork
Wood Storks nest at Paurotis Pond in Everglades National Park, but can often be found during winter at Anhinga Trail, Mrazek Pond, Shark Valley and other locations within the National Park. It is also not unusual to see them feeding in wet areas along highways. During late summer, they often congregate in large numbers in the Everglades Agricultural Area in Palm Beach County. In recent years, they have nested at Wakodahatchee Wetlands.
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American Flamingo
American Flamingos are still reported occasionally in Florida Bay or in the Keys. The most recent sightings have been a single bird at Sugarloaf Key during January 2021, and at Big Torch Key and surrounding keys during summer 2020, where from one to six birds were seen. Other recent sightings include a single bird in the Dry Tortugas in 2018 and at Snake Bight in Everglades National Park during 2017 and 2018. From 2014-18, a large flock of flamingos appeared during spring in the Everglades Agricultural Area, especially at Stormwater Treatment Area-2 in Palm Beach County.
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Swallow-tailed Kite
These beautiful raptors arrive in Florida in late February and return to their wintering grounds in South and Central America by September. Look for them anywhere along the main park road in Everglades National Park, as well as at Royal Palm Hammock, Long Pine Key, Paurotis Pond, West Lake and the Flamingo area. They may also be seen along Tamiami Trail in Big Cypress National Preserve, at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples and even in suburban Miami-Dade, especially the South Miami area.
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White-tailed Kite
White-tailed Kites are occasionally seen in Southwest Miami-Dade. Places to check include over fields, around Lucky Hammock on Aerojet Road and at the C-357 sparrow fields on SW 168 Street in the East Everglades. In the main portion of the national park they are most often found in the restoration area at the end of Research Road. They seem to prefer prairie-like areas, including some farm fields.
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Snail Kite
Throughout the year but especially during winter, Snail Kites can be
found on U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail) near the Shark Valley section of Everglades National Park. Good vantage points are along the L-67 Canal east of Shark Valley, the parking lot of the Miccosukee Indian Restaurant (across from the Shark Valley entrance), and the airboat concession just across the road from the Everglades Tower Motel, a mile west of Shark Valley. Snail Kites can also be found in the Water Conservation Area west of Markham Park in Broward County, at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Palm Beach County. They can be common at Stormwater Treatment Area 5 (STA-5) in Hendry County and STA-1E in Palm Beach County.
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Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle may be seen soaring overhead anywhere in Everglades
National Park, but are more likely in the Flamingo area. They are also often seen over Dump Marsh and Cutler Wetlands in Miami-Dade.
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Great Black-Hawk
Although not ABA-countable, Great Black-Hawks of unknown
origin have been seen in the Miami area since the 1970's.
In recent years, most sightings have been on Virginia Key.
Robin Diaz has provided a detailed summary
of the situation.
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Short-tailed Hawk
During winter, Short-Tailed Hawks can be most reliably seen in
Everglades National Park. They are seen regularly over Royal Palm
Hammock (watch for them among kettles of vultures), along Research Road, at West Lake, Nine Mile Pond and Eco Pond in Flamingo. They can also be seen over suburban Miami-Dade parks.
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Crested Caracara
The closest reliable location for Crested Caracara is along Snake
Road (CR 833) in Broward County and Pole Crossing Road (CR 846) in
Hendry County. The southern terminus of Snake Road is at Exit 49
of Alligator Alley (I-75).
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Black Rail
Black Rails are rarely seen, but during winter, they can sometimes be heard at dawn or dusk near the end of Research Road, along the Coastal Prairie Trail in Flamingo, or along the main park road just south of the Mahogany Hammock turnoff, all in Everglades National Park.
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Clapper Rail
Clapper Rails inhabit salt marshes and shallow mangrove swamps and are more often heard than seen. Suitable habitat can be found in the Flamingo area of Everglades National Park and throughout the Florida Keys.
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King Rail
King Rails inhabit freshwater marshes and are also more often heard than seen. Suitable habitat can be found at Shark Valley and around Anhinga Trail and Mahogany Hammock in Everglades National Park. They can also be found at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and in the Everglades Agricultural Area in Palm Beach County.
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Gray-headed Swamphen
This introduced species, formerly known as Purple Swamphen, is common at Stormwater Treatment Area 5 (STA-5) in Hendry County at Wakodahatchee and Green Cay Wetlands, and at STA1-E, STA1-W and Harold Campbell Day Use Area (STA3/4) in Palm Beach County. Swamphens can be found at several locations in Broward County, including Sawgrass Recreation Park on US 27, at Water Conservation Area 2-A, accessed from Markham Park in Weston, at Plantation Preserve on West Broward Boulevard in Plantation, at Tree Tops and Vista View Parks on Griffin Road in Davie and at Silver Lakes North Park and Chapel Trail Nature Preserve on Sheridan Street in Pembroke Pines. In Miami-Dade, swamphens can be found in wetlands on the south side of Dolphin Mall at Florida's Turnpike and the Dolphin Expressway (SR 836). Pic/ID
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Purple Gallinule
Look for Purple Gallinule at Anhinga Trail and at Shark Valley (especially in the canal along the west side of the loop road) in Everglades National Park, and at Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Green Cay Wetlands and Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Palm Beach County.
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Limpkin
Limpkins can reliably be found at Shark Valley, along Snake Road (CR 833) in Broward County and at Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Green Cay Wetlands, Wellington Environmental Preserve, and Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Palm Beach County. They are now regularly found along lakes and canals in many suburban areas in south Florida. They are often abundant at STAs in Palm Beach and Hendry Counties.
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Snowy Plover
Snowy Plovers nest in small numbers on Gulf Coast beaches. Reliable
locations in south Florida include Tigertail Beach on Marco Island (Collier County) and Big Carlos Pass near Ft. Myers Beach (Lee County).
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Wilson's Plover
Wilson's Plovers are much more common on beaches on the Gulf Coast than on the Atlantic coast. Reliable
locations in south Florida include Tigertail Beach on Marco Island (Collier County) and Big Carlos Pass and Bunche Beach, both near Ft. Myers Beach (Lee County).
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Lesser Black-backed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gulls are found all along Atlantic coast beaches in south Florida but are often easiest to find at Crandon Beach on Key Biscayne.
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Brown Noddy
Brown Noddies are easy to see during spring and summer in the Dry
Tortugas, their only nesting location in North America.
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Black Noddy
Black Noddies are rare but almost annual spring visitors to the Dry
Tortugas. The most recent confirmed sighting was from April, 2017.
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Sooty Tern
Sooty Terns are easy to see during spring and summer in the Dry
Tortugas, their only nesting location in North America.
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Bridled Tern
Bridled Terns are most often seen on the ferry trip to the Dry
Tortugas, mostly around weed lines, and occasionally can be found roosting on the old coaling docks at Garden Key. Pic/ID
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Roseate Tern
Roseate Terns breed during summer in the Florida Keys. One location where they have nested in recent years is on the roof of the Government Center buildings, at mile marker 48.5 in Marathon. They may also be seen perched on channel markers in the Dry Tortugas.
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White-crowned Pigeon
White-crowned Pigeons are most common in the Florida Keys. Look for
them at Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Site, and in Key West. They may also be perched on wires anywhere along US 1 from Key Largo to Key West. They can often be seen in Everglades National Park, as well as in the Lucky Hammock area, just outside the park. Good areas within the park include Royal Palm Hammock, Paurotis and Nine Mile Ponds (scan the treetops on the far side of the ponds), and along Snake Bight Trail. Finally, they may be found in suburban south Miami-Dade. Check wires in South Miami and around Baptist Hospital, as well as at A.D. Barnes, Matheson Hammock and Kendall Indian Hammocks Parks.
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Zenaida Dove
Zenaida Doves are resident throughout the Caribbean, but are only
occasionally seen in Florida. The most recent sighting was from West Kendall Agricultural Area in the summer of 2018 and again in 2019. The last previous sighting was from Long Key State Park in the Middle Keys in 2016.
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Key West Quail-Dove
Key West Quail-Doves are resident in the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, but are only occasionally seen in Florida. Recent sightings include from Dr. Von D. Mizell Eula Johnson/John U. Lloyd Beach State Park in Broward County in 2018 and 2019, and Lantana Nature Preserve in Palm Beach County, in 2018. Older sightings include at least two at Long Key State Park in the Middle Keys and another at the Deering Estate at Cutler in the fall/winter of 2014, Elliot Key, Biscayne National Park, in 2002, and Hugh Taylor Birch State Park and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, both in 1999.
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Ruddy Quail-Dove
Ruddy Quail-Doves are resident throughout the Caribbean (except the
Bahamas), but are only occasionally seen in Florida. The most recent sighting was from Fort Zachary Taylor State Park in Key West in December 2020. Older sightings were from Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne in 2013 and from Hugh Taylor Birch State Park in 2002.
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Mangrove Cuckoo
Black Point Park in Miami-Dade has been a reliable location for this secretive species, especially during spring. Other locations worth trying include Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Site and Snake Bight and Bear Lake Trails in Everglades National Park.
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Smooth-billed Ani
In recent years, Smooth-billed Ani have been reported from a number of locations in south, central and even north Florida. These individuals were most likely vagrants from the Bahamas. This species has virtually disappeared as a breeding bird in Florida, though one recent sighting in 2015-16 was a pair that engaged in nest-building at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.
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Burrowing Owl
Burrowing Owls reside at a number of local airports, including Kendall/Tamiami Executive Airport (SW 137 Avenue, between SW 120 and SW 136 Street), Homestead General Aviation Airport (SW 217 Avenue, north of SW 296 Street), and Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport (NW 21 Avenue, north of Commercial Boulevard). Burrowing Owls can also be found at Brian Piccolo Park, on Sheridan Street in Cooper City (Broward County), at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton (Palm Beach County), on golf courses and in residential areas in Marathon (Monroe County), on Marco Island (Collier County) and in Cape Coral (Lee County). Burrows at all of these locations are usually marked with stakes, orange cones or t-bars.
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“Arawak” (Short-eared) Owl
The Arawak Owl is the Antillean race of Short-eared Owl. It is resident in Cuba and Hispaniola and is an almost annual visitor to the Dry Tortugas. Individuals are sometimes found at Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park in Key West. The Antillean race is buffier than the continental race, itself an occasional winter visitor to the Florida mainland.
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Lesser Nighthawk
Lesser Nighthawk winters in small numbers in south Florida. Reliable locations include Dump Marsh, the Lucky Hammock area on Aerojet Road and around Eco Pond in Flamingo, Everglades National Park.
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Antillean Nighthawk
Antillean Nighthawks can be found during spring and summer throughout the Florida Keys, but are most easily seen at dusk over large open areas such as at Marathon and Key West airports. Common Nighthawks are also likely at these locations, so learn to distinguish them by call ("pity-pit-pit" for Antillean, "peent" for Common).
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Chuck-will's-widow
Chuck-will's-widows are most likely to be seen during spring and fall migration, when they perch on tree limbs in hardwood hammocks and often flush when approached. Good locations during migration include A.D. Barnes Park and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. During spring and summer, Chuck-will's-widows may be heard just before sunrise around pinelands and hammocks in Everglades National Park. Reliable locations include the pinelands around the entrance station and the Royal Palm Hammock parking area.
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Antillean Palm-Swift
Antillean Palm-Swift is a common resident in Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola, but a rare vagrant to Florida. The first record was of two individuals in Key West during the summer of 1972. It wasn't seen in Florida again until 2019, when one appeared in July on Grassy Key. Possibly the same individual was found in late September at Sombrero Key Golf Course in Marathon, where it remained until the end of December, 2019.
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Bahama Woodstar
Bahama Woodstars are endemic to the Bahamas, but are very rarely seen in Florida. The most recent record was from Brevard County in May, 2017. The last verified sighting in south Florida was from Homestead in 1981.
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Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Red-cockaded Woodpeckers nest in Big Cypress National Preserve as
well as in J W Corbett Wildlife Management Area in Palm Beach and Martin Counties, but in locations inaccessible to birders or heavily used by hunters. This species has been recently introduced to DuPuis Management Area in Martin and Palm Beach Counties; accessible nest clusters can be found along the management area's auto tour road. In southwest Florida, they have been recently introduced at Picayune Strand State Forest in Collier County; access is via the Belle Mead Horse Trail. They also nest at Babcock Webb Wildlife Management Area, in Charlotte County.
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Parrots
Over 75 species of parrots have been introduced to Florida; of these, at least 20 species are now breeding in the state. Only four are currently ABA-countable:
Monk Parakeet
While parrots introduced to Florida typically nest in tree cavities, Monk Parakeets are the only species that builds communal stick nests. These large, bulky nests can be found throughout suburban southeast Florida, sometimes in trees but also on power poles and other man-made structures. Reliable locations in Miami-Dade include Miami Shores, Miami Springs (around the Fair Haven Nursing Home), Key Biscayne, Baptist Hospital and Kendall Indian Hammocks, A D Barnes and Matheson Hammock Parks. The parakeets are often found around shopping centers along SW 88 Street (Kendall Drive); stick nests are conspicuous on power poles where North Kendall Drive crosses SW 127 Avenue. In Broward County, try Everglades Holiday Park on US 27 at the western end of Griffin Road and Topeekeegee Park in Hollywood.
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White-winged Parakeet
This diminutive parakeet is distinguished from Yellow-chevroned Parakeet by the white secondary and inner primary feathers in their wings. A reliable location for White-winged Parakeet is south of Miami International Airport, outside the bank near the intersection of NW 42 Avenue (LeJeune Road) and NW 7 Street. They can also be found around the Miami Shores golf course and at Plantation Preserve in Broward County.
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Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
This species is distinguished from White-winged Parakeet by the lack of white secondary and inner primary feathers in their wings. Yellow-chevroned Parakeets are most often seen in Miami Springs, Coral Gables, South Miami and Kendall. Reliable locations include Matheson Hammock, A D Barnes and Pine Woods Parks as well as the University of Miami campus and Granada golf course in Coral Gables.
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Nanday Parakeet
In southeast Florida, Nanday Parakeets (formally known as Black-hooded Parakeets) are most often seen in Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Reliable locations in Broward include Tall Cypress Natural Area, along US 1 near Ft Lauderdale International Airport and around the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame on Griffin Road, just west of I-95. Boynton Inlet in Boynton Beach is a reliable location in Palm Beach. Nandays can sometimes be found in Miami-Dade neighborhoods, including Biscayne Gardens, Miami Shores and the Falls and ZooMiami areas. Nandays are common in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area. Pic/ID
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Other Parrots
Budgerigar: This species, which once numbered in the thousands on the west coast, has been extirpated from Florida. Individuals encountered will all be recent escapees.
The following areas in Miami-Dade can be good for finding a variety of parrots:
- Biscayne Gardens: the neighborhoods east of I-95, between NW 151 Street and NW 135 Street, especially along South Biscayne River Drive. Monk, White-winged, Yellow-chevroned, Blue-crowned, Mitred, Red-masked, Crimson-fronted and White-eyed Parakeets; Chestnut-fronted Macaw; White-fronted, Orange-winged and Red-crowned Parrots.
- Miami Shores: the neighborhoods east of I-95, between NE 103 Street and NE 95 Street, east to Miami Shores Country Club. Monk, White-winged, Yellow-chevroned, Blue-crowned, Mitred, Red-masked, Crimson-fronted and White-eyed Parakeets; Chestnut-fronted Macaw; White-fronted, Orange-winged and Red-crowned Parrots.
- Miami Beach: the neighborhoods around Muss Park (on Chase Road) and Pine Tree Park (on Pine Tree Road); both parks are just north of Arthur Godfrey Road (accessed from the mainland via I-195/Julia Tuttle Causeway). Monk, Blue-crowned, Mitred. and White-eyed Parakeets, Chestnut-fronted Macaw, Scaly-headed Parrot.
- Miami Springs: the neighborhood around Fair Haven Nursing Home on Curtiss Parkway, as well as the neighborhood around the intersection of Wren Avenue and Apache Street. Monk, Yellow-chevroned, Blue-crowned, Green, Mitred, Scarlet-fronted, Red-masked, Crimson-fronted, White-eyed and Dusky-headed Parakeets; Blue-fronted, Orange-winged, Red-crowned and Yellow-crowned Parrots.
- Key Biscayne: neighborhoods in the village of Key Biscayne, plus Crandon Park, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. Monk and Blue-crowned Parakeets.
- South Miami: the neighborhoods between SW 56 Street (Miller Drive), SW 72 Street (Sunset Drive), SW 67 Avenue (Ludlam Road), and SW 57 Avenue (Red Road). Monk, White-winged, Yellow-chevroned, Mitred and Red-masked Parakeets, Blue-and-yellow and Chestnut-fronted Macaws, White-fronted, Blue-fronted, Orange-winged, Red-crowned, Lilac-crowned, Yellow-crowned, Yellow-headed and Mealy Parrots.
- A D Barnes Park: entrance is on SW 72 Avenue, north of SW 40 Street (Bird Road). Monk, White-winged, Yellow-chevroned Red-masked and Mitred Parakeets, Blue-and-yellow and Chestnut-fronted Macaws, Orange-winged Parrot.
- Baptist Hospital area: the neighborhoods between US 1 (South Dixie Highway) and SR 874 (Don Shula Expessway), SR 878 (Snapper Creek Expressway) and SW 88 Street (North Kendall Drive). Monk, White-winged, Yellow-chevroned, Red-masked and Mitred Parakeets.
- Kendall Indian Hammocks Park: entrance is on SW 107 Avenue, north of SW 88 Street (North Kendall Drive). Monk and Mitred Parakeets.
- Matheson Hammock Park/Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden: entrance is on Old Cutler Road, south of SW 88 Street (North Kendall Drive). Monk, White-winged, Yellow-chevroned and Red-masked Parakeets, Blue-and-yellow and Chestnut-fronted Macaws, Orange-winged and Lilac-crowned Parakeets.
- ZooMiami/Larry and Penny Thompson Park: west of Florida's Turnpike; the entrance to ZooMiami is on SW 152 Street (Coral Reef Drive), the entrance to Larry and Penny Thompson Park is on SW 184 Street (Eureka Drive). Monk and Nanday Parakeets.
Locations to look for parrots in Broward County include:
- Richardson Park: Wilton Manors. Red-crowned Parrot, Blue-crowned Parakeet.
- Las Olas Blvd and side streets to the north from Hendricks Isle east through Nurmi Drive.
The most reliable way to locate parrots in residential neighborhoods is
by driving side streets with the windows down, listening for squawking. Early morning and late afternoon are most productive. As always when birding in urban areas, common sense is essential. Avoid birding alone. Lock car doors and secure valuables out of sight. Do not trespass on private property.
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Cuban Pewee
Cuban Pewees, sometimes called Crescent-eyed Pewees, are resident in the Bahamas and Cuba, but there are only a few records in Florida. The most recent sighting has been from Blue Hole on Big Pine Key during winter 2020-2021. Older sightings were from Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne in 2017, from Crandon Park on Key Biscayne in 2016 and from Long Pine Key in Everglades National Park in 2010.
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Alder Flycatcher
Alder Flycatchers can be found annually during late August and September in “The Annex” area along Aerojet Road.
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Vermilion Flycatcher
Vermilion Flycatchers now winter almost annually in Florida. The most recent sighting was from the Oasis Visitor Center in Big Cypress National Preserve in 2019.
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Brown-crested Flycatcher
A few Brown-crested Flycatchers are seen annually during winter. The best locations to find them are in and around Everglades National Park, on Aerojet Road and along the C11E canal, about 2.5 miles east of the park entrance. Listen for their big “whit” call. Keep in mind that they are substantially outnumbered by Great Crested Flycatchers.
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La Sagra's Flycatcher
La Sagra's Flycatchers are resident in the Bahamas and Cuba, but are seen in Florida almost annually, typically at coastal locations such as on Key Biscayne and Key Largo but sometimes at inland locations such as A.D. Barnes Park in Miami and in Everglades National Park.
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Tropical Kingbird
Tropical Kingbirds now winter almost annually in south Florida. Recent locations include along SR 9336 outside Everglades National Park, at the S-334 Water Control Structure west of Krome Avenue on Tamiami Trail and at STAs in Palm Beach and Hendry Counties.
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Gray Kingbird
Gray Kingbirds are common and conspicuous during spring and summer in
suburban Miami and throughout the Keys; they can usually be found around shopping centers. Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne is another reliable location; they often perch on wires near the lighthouse.
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Loggerhead Kingbird
Loggerhead Kingbirds are resident in the Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. The first verified sighting in Florida was from Fort Zachary Taylor State Park in 2007, with a repeat visit in 2009. The most recent sighting was at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne in December,2017.
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Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, along with Western Kingbirds, can often be found in Flamingo, Everglades National Park, during winter. Check along the main park road from the visitor center to Eco Pond. Near the park entrance, check the wires and fences along SR 9336 and around Lucky Hammock on Aerojet Road.
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Thick-billed Vireo
Thick-billed Vireos are resident in the Bahamas, but are sporadically seen in Florida, typically in coastal areas. The most recent sightings were from Crandon Park on Key Biscayne in 2019 and Long Key State Park in 2019-20.
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Bell's Vireo
Bell's Vireo winters almost annually in south Florida. A good location is the Lucky Hammock area on Aerojet Road.
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Black-whiskered Vireo
During spring and summer, Black-whiskered Vireos are easiest to find in the Florida Keys, where they sing incessantly throughout the day. Good locations include Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Site and Long Key State Park. During spring migration, Black-whiskered Vireos are often seen and heard at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Matheson Hammock Park and in hammocks throughout Everglades National Park.
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Florida Scrub-Jay
The closest reliable locations in south Florida for Florida Scrub-Jay, the only bird endemic to Florida, are Jupiter Ridge Natural Area, in Palm Beach County, and Jonathan Dickinson State Park, in Martin County.
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Bahama Swallow
Bahama Swallows are endemic to the Bahamas, but are very rarely seen in Florida. In the fall of 2020, several were seen at Curry Hammock State Park and in Marathon in the Middle Keys. The previous sightings were from the fall of 2014, also in the Middle Keys; another was seen at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne.
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Cave Swallow
At dawn and dusk during spring and summer, look for Cave Swallows of the West Indian race under Florida Turnpike bridges, such as at the Portofino Plaza shopping center on Campbell Drive in Homestead, over Black Creek, just north of Southwest 216th Street in Cutler Bay and under a bridge over Snapper Creek at SW 107 Avenue just north of Sunset Drive (SW 72 Street) in Kendall; they may be also seen collecting mud for nests or feeding at Cutler Wetlands and Dump Marsh.
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Brown-headed Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch has been reintroduced to pine rocklands in
Everglades National Park, and can be seen in and around the Long Pine
Key picnic area and campground, as well as in pinelands along Research Road.
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Red-whiskered Bulbul
Red-whiskered Bulbuls are often seen in the neighborhoods around Baptist Hospital on SW 88 Street (Kendall Drive), including the Kendallwood neighborhood on SW 82 Street, west of SW 87 Avenue, around Kenwood Elementary (SW 79 Avenue, 0.2 miles south of Kendall Drive) and in the Kings Creek area north of Kendall Drive and west of the Palmetto Expressway. They can also be reliably found at Pine Woods Park, on SW 102 Avenue and SW 132 Street.
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Bahama Mockingbird
Bahama Mockingbirds are resident in the Bahamas, Jamaica and on
islands off the northern coast of Cuba, but are seen almost annually in Florida, typically at coastal locations. Recent sightings include Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne, Dr. Von D. Mizell Eula Johnson/John U. Lloyd Beach State Park in Broward County and Lantana Nature Preserve in Palm Beach County, all in 2019.
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Common Myna
This ground-feeding myna can be found around shopping centers and fast-food restaurants throughout Miami and the Keys.
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Common Hill Myna
This arboreal myna has become difficult to find in recent years; they prefer tropical hardwood hammocks but can also be found in suburban neighborhoods in southern Miami Dade. Look for them at Matheson Hammock Park and adjacent Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, around Baptist Hospital on North Kendall Drive, and in the Falls and ZooMiami areas.
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Red-legged Thrush
Red-legged Thrush are resident throughout much of the Caribbean, but have been recorded in Florida on only four occasions. The most recent records have been from Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Gardens during winter of 2020-2021, and from Lantana Nature Preserve in Palm Beach County and South Pointe Park on Miami Beach, both in 2019.
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Cuban Golden (Yellow) Warbler
This West Indian subspecies of the Yellow Warbler breeds in mangrove forests in the Keys and Everglades National Park. A reliable location is around the Card Sound Bridge tollbooth on Card Sound Road; the bridge connects Key Largo to the mainland.
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Prothonotary Warbler
Prothonotary Warblers are at the southern end of their breeding range in south Florida. Here they breed in cypress swamps such as those in Big Cypress National Preserve. A reliable location is at
Sweetwater Strand, on Loop Road in Big Cypress.
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Yellow-breasted Chat
Yellow-breated Chat winters annually in south Florida. Good locations include the Lucky Hammock area on Aerojet Road and around Eco Pond in Flamingo, Everglades National Park.
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Bananaquit
The Bananaquit is easy to find in the Bahamas. In south Florida, it is an occasional visitor during fall, winter, and spring. It is most likely to show up in the keys or within a few miles of the coast. Recent sightings have been at A.D. Barnes Park in Miami, Crandon Park on Key Biscayne, North Shore Open Space Park on Miami Beach and Richardson Park in Broward County.
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Western Spindalis
Western Spindalis are resident in the Bahamas and Cuba, but are seen almost annually in Florida, typically at coastal locations. In 2009, a pair successfully nested at Long Pine Key in Everglades National Park, the first North American breeding record for this species. Another pair was found in this area in 2017.
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Yellow-faced Grassquit
Yellow-faced Grassquits are resident in Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Jamaica, but are rarely seen in Florida. The most recent sightings were from Fort Zachary Tayler State Park in Key West in 2009, the Dry Tortugas in 2002 and Eco Pond in Everglades National Park in 2001.
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Black-faced Grassquit
Black-faced Grassquits are resident throughout the Caribbean (though rare and local in Cuba) and in recent years have become annual vagrants to Florida. The most recent sightings have been from Blue Hole on Big Pine Key from 2019 to 2021, Everglades National Park and John Pennekamp State Park on Key Largo in 2020, Ft. Zachary Taylor State Park in Key West in 2019 and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne in 2018.
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Bachman's Sparrow
Bachman's Sparrows are year-round residents of pinelands with a saw palmetto understory, but are easiest to find when males are singing. Try the Kitching Creek Trail at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County, J. W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area in Palm Beach County or Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area in Charlotte County.
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Sharp-tailed Sparrows
Both Nelson's and Saltmarsh Sparrows (Nelson's predominates) can sometimes be found during winter around Flamingo, in Everglades National Park. Check the Coastal Prairie Trail, which starts at the end of the campground, or coastal prairie habitat behind Eco Pond.
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Nelson's Pic/ID
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Seaside Sparrow
The Cape Sable race of Seaside Sparrow, once considered a separate
species, is most easily found during the breeding season (late
winter/early spring), when they are singing. The most reliable location is in Everglades National Park, in sawgrass prairie beginning about 0.5 mile past the Mahogany Hammock turnoff.
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Painted Bunting
Painted Buntings come to feeders during winter at Castellow Hammock and Bill Sadowski Parks in Miami Dade, as well as Green Cay Wetlands and Okeeheelee Nature Center in Palm Beach. Also look for Painted Buntings in brushy areas around Lucky Hammock and the Annex in Southern Glades WEA, and along Snake Bight and Coastal Prairie Trails in Everglades National Park.
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Yellow-headed Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbirds can be regularly found from fall through spring among the large flocks of blackbirds and cowbirds that feed around the Sem-Chi rice plant off of CR 880, adjacent to Stormwater Treatment Area-1W in western Palm Beach County.
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Shiny Cowbird
Shiny Cowbirds can sometimes be found during spring and summer among flocks of Brown-headed Cowbirds, feeding in grassy areas around the Flamingo Visitor Center parking lots in Everglades National Park. They also come to seed feeders in the Homestead area.
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Bronzed Cowbird
Bronzed Cowbirds, which have recently become regular denizens of south Florida, have been regularly seen at a shopping center on Bird Road (SW 40 Street) and SW 87 Avenue in Miami, in Hialeah, the West Kendall Agricultural Area, in Homestead, around Flamingo in Everglades National Park and at Eagle Lakes Park in Naples. Check any cowbird flock you see for both Bronzed and Shiny Cowbirds.
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Spot-breasted Oriole
Spot-Breasted Orioles can be found throughout the suburbs of
southeastern Florida, most often in areas with exotic flowering trees. Check neighborhoods in Biscayne Gardens, Miami Shores, Miami Springs, South Miami and around Baptist Hospital on Kendall Drive. The oriole has also been found at A.D. Barnes, Kendall Indian Hammock and Bill Sadowski Parks in Miami-Dade and in Evergreen Cemetery and Markham Park in Broward.
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Scaly-breasted Munia
Scaly-breasted Munias, formerly known as Nutmeg Mannikins, can be found in weedy, overgrown areas in Miami-Dade County, primarily in the Cutler Bay area. Munias are now regularly visiting seed feeders at the Deering Estate at Cutler visitor center. A large flock inhabits Pine Woods Park, on SW 102 Avenue and SW 132 Street in the Falls area of south Miami-Dade. They are occasionally seen in weedy areas on the west side of Matheson Hammock Park.
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References
- Herbert Raffaele et al., “A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies,” Princeton University Press, 1998.
- William B. Robertson, Jr. and Glen E. Woolfenden, “Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List,” Florida Ornithological Society, 1992.
- Henry M. Stevenson and Bruce H. Anderson, “The Birdlife of Florida,” University Press of Florida, 1994