7 Wetland Birds of Florida that are Weird but Cool
My personal pick of odd wetland birds you can find while venturing through central and southern Florida’s extensive swampy environments.
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In my short and humble opinion, birds are weird. They come in every color from the most dedicated camouflage of owls to the emboldened palette of the hummingbirds; they may croak, squeal, chirp, sing, hiss, shriek, whistle, scream, and mimic Mario kart characters; they may choose to dance with you or bite you or simply give you a condescending stare like that of the shoebill stork. And if you are looking for some pretty strange wetland birds in the USA, the water-loving residents of Florida may be a perfect location for you. Here are 7 of my personal favorite birds you may find while you are there.
No.1 Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja
Don’t be fooled by the cheery pink blush of feathers darting through the misty morning skies of your wetland hike- flamingos are a rare sight anywhere outside of the southernmost parts of the state. Instead, you may be looking at the roseate spoonbill– a popular wetland bird that shares a distinctive pink hue in a fraction of the size (and perhaps a fraction of the elegance as well). While similar in color to the flamingo, spoonbills are more closely related to ibises and heron. This species shows familiar pink hues because of their similar diet to the flamingo family. This spoonbill has a wrinkled yellow forehead, bulging red eyes, almost disproportionately large toes, and the awkwardly shaped bill for which they are named. All this together makes them a distinctly strange but colorful addition to wetlands along the coast.
Coastal wetlands with dense woody vegetation such as mangroves is preferable to these birds. The contrast of their pink coloration against the olive greens and browns of mangroves make them an easy sight. You can view them though binoculars or in a kayak a safe distance away. If you’re lucky, you may even catch sight of their fluffy cotton-candy pink chicks or observe parent birds swing their beaks back and forth to scoop up crabs and crayfish in the shallow muddy waters. In any case, they are a must see species as they are the only spoonbill native to the entire western hemisphere- and who wouldn’t want to see such a wonderfully strange wetland bird?
No.2 Anhinga, Anhinga anhinga
Half the time you see them, they are merely a stick with a yellow point peaking just above the water line before disappearing beneath the water’s surface without a trace. The other half of the time they are perched on a low hanging branch with sliver flight feathers splayed wide. But no matter where you see them, the snake-like neck ending in a sharply pointed yellow beak is a sure sign that you are looking at an anhinga.
Observers often confuse the anhinga with the double-crested cormorant, another common wetland bird. However, cormorants have a distinctive hook at the end of their beaks and have a more conservative neck length. The anhinga has a skinny neck with amazing length, earning them their “snakebird” nickname. They are fairly common throughout central and southern Florida wetlands, but you may have the best luck searching in cypress swamps and calmer marshes. Be sure to look not only near the water’s edge but also at the surface of the water as this bird is a skilled underwater hunter, using its sharp beak to spear through fishes and then coming up to toss their prey into the air and swallow it whole. It is one of my favorite oddities about this bird: watching the greediness in which they can devour a plump fish despite their delicately slender necks.
No.3 Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata
The common gallinule is true to its name in that it is very common across North and South America. This plump, dark colored bird shows off a funky red-yellow face shield as its only notable decoration, but it didn’t make this list for that reason.
Instead, it made this list because they are the makers of some of the most entertaining noises of the Florida wetlands (listen with the Audubon web guide). They squawk, chirp, scream, croak, and otherwise make quite a soundtrack customary to the swamp ecosystems of Florida. They particularly enjoy marshes with plenty of vegetation for hiding along the water’s edge. If you are willing to look through the reeds of small, calm pools nearby a marshland, you may discover a parent gallinule followed by their tiny puffball-like chicks just learning how to make their own array of melodies, a truly adorable site to see.
No.4 Limpkin, Aramus guarauna
A somewhat close relative to the crane, the limpkin is an elusive wading birds with brown and white mottled feathers. Its gently curved grey tipped beak is specifically adapted for the limpkin’s favorite meal- apple snails. They have such an affinity for these giant olive-brown snails that their geographic range unsurprisingly overlaps closely to that of the snail’s native range. This is also useful knowledge when looking for a limpkin-rich habitat. While they are not the only bird to eat snails, and snails are not the only thing this species eats, a large amount of discarded apple snail shells surrounding the water’s edge is almost a sure sign limpkins are in the area.
Snail-obsession aside, the limpkin is relatively understudied compared to many other wetland birds in Florida. They appear to be somewhat nocturnal, and their young have been professionally observed from time to time, but overall their ecology is still a mystery to be solved. I personally think this makes them all the more fascinating to see in their natural habitat.
No.5 Sandhill Crane, Grus canadensis
With ranges extending all the way to Canada, the migratory sandhill crane is a frequent flier across a large number of states in the USA as well as the northern reaches of Mexico. Florida hosts some of the few non-migratory populations, particularly in the central east coast. Better yet, their graceful stance and adorable young make them welcome members of many central Florida communities, often being featured in local artwork and photography. Many take advantage of the man-made water features in Florida’s extensive suburbia and can be found simply crossing the road or picking bugs out of someone’s front yard.
Sandhill cranes are great birds to look for without having to go deep into the wetlands. Their bold red foreheads, bright orange eyes, and long graceful legs add beauty to their otherwise neutral colored bodies. However don’t let their comfort in man made environments fool you- they are extremely defensive of their young if you try and approach them directly. Casually strolling without stopping by or even politely crossing the road is how Florida locals keep a amicable existence when living so close to these majestic animals.
No.6 Little Blue Heron, Egretta caerulea
Little blue herons are not actually herons, but are in fact members of the egret family, the resemblance evident with its close cousin the reddish egret (also naive to Florida, but harder to find). I personally find them delightful to observe because of their skittish nature. They often appear slow and cautious as they wade through the water bank, and are quick to scare away if you are too noisy.
However, on a nice quiet walk they are easy to find in wetlands with dense or woody vegetation alongside the water. Their grey-blue feathers offer some contrast to the usual greens of the habitat, made even more evident when their heads turn a lovely violet color around breeding season. Funnily enough, their chicks start out almost entirely white, and while maturing, hit the awkward blue-white spotted teenager phase that make them look like a whole new species entirely.
No.7 Wood Stork, Mycteria americana
Bald scaly head, pitch black eyes, stocky grey-streaked bill- the wood stork is an image reminiscent to a grumpy old man wrapped in a fluffy white trench coat. Intimidating, perhaps a bit ugly, but certainly among the most formidable and fascinating of wetland birds to see in Florida.
The wood bill stork is North America’s only native stork species. Your best bet is to search among the quiet waters of cypress swamps to find them. You may be lucky enough to find one still as a statue, knee deep in water with its head lowered, bill partly opened and submerged. It remains the very picture of patience until an unwitting fish wanders into waiting jaws, providing a well deserved meal before the ambush predator flies off to a new location to reset its trap.
Conservation: What You Should Know
Habitat fragmentation and loss is a current threat Audubon and other conservation organizations are watching, especially in the wetlands of Florida. The state’s popular attractions, natural beauty, and agreeable climate bring make it a popular destination to live and visit, but careful management of natural wetlands is necessary for the overall ecological health of the state. A few notable projects are underway to address these concerns.
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission has launched their Multistate Wetlands Ecological Restoration project to help save the wetlands within Florida’s inland pine forests. The Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida has launched their Restore Our Shores program to restore coastal, mangrove, and seagrass habitats along Florida’s eastern coast.
Even with these efforts, there is still much more to do to protect the wetland birds of Florida. Luckily, some of them are simple things every tourist can do!
- All wayward trash ends up in the wetlands, and birds of all kinds will try to eat it. Discard your waste properly.
- The state’s water comes from wetlands or aquifers that feed into wetlands. Be mindful of your water consumption, using only what is needed when you can.
- Don’t disturb any bird nesting areas. Some birds, like the roseate spoonbill, can be easily frightened away from their nests. If this happens too often, it is possible they will simply abandon their nests entirely.
Final Thoughts
My final tips? Grab a kayak, an Audubon field guide (or use their free website here), and a set of binoculars to play your own game of bird Bingo. Find some of my favorites, and maybe discover your own favorites along the way. Afterall, the oddities of birds serve to make them some of the best wildlife to view in Florida’s vast wetlands.
Resources and Further Readings
This post was made with many hours of hands-on wetlands experience, plus no small amount of Audubon field guides to guide me on the way.
