Flamingos Are Nesting In Florida After 100 Years. An Ecologist Explains Why They May Be Returning For Good

Flamingos Are Nesting In Florida After 100 Years. An Ecologist Explains Why They May Be Returning For Good

Flamingos Are Nesting In Florida After 100 Years. An Ecologist Explains Why They May Be Returning For Good Hurricane Idalia blew a flamboyance, or flock, of 300-400 flamingos that was likely migrating between the Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba off course in August 2023 and unceremoniously deposited the birds across a wide swath of the eastern United States, from Florida’s Gulf Coast all the way up to Wisconsin and east to Pennsylvania. After Hurricane Idalia, more than 300 credible sightings of flamingos across the eastern U.S. were reported. Audubon Florida I’m an estuarine scientist. That means I study ecosystems where fresh water flows into the ocean. I’ve spent 35 years with Audubon Florida studying the ecology of American flamingos and other wading birds in Florida Bay, Everglades National Park. So naturally, I was thrilled and intrigued by the sudden arrival of these flamingos. One of the birds was rescued in the Tampa area after nearly drowning in the Gulf of Mexico. His rescuers named…