"If we start to see more flamingos, that would certainly indicate that the population is expanding and that they're finding habitat here."Ĭould this bird be an example of an expanding population? "It's one bird, and it would be way too difficult to draw that kind of conclusion from it," Laakkonen said. Laakkonen said scientists can't make assumptions about any wild flamingos in Florida in the future, simply because they're so rare here. If you get close enough to a bird that it flies off, you're way too close." We kept our distance and left without disturbing it. "The flamingo was watching us," Laakkonen said. He said the flamingo was cautious, almost skittish. So we're asking people to please respect the birds and stay at a distance." "They're huge birds and they have a huge metabolic need, so it's important that they are allowed to rest. "The bird is with a large number of American white pelicans that are migratory birds that are typically here in the winter, and so American white pelicans are very sensitive to disturbances," Laakkonen said. He said his group observed the bird with binoculars and cameras from about 100 yards away. Right now there's one near Tallahassee, and it's been there a long time." These birds can really fly some distance. "There was a large flock monitored by the South Florida Water Management District at one of the stormwater treatment areas (near the East Coast), so it's a great question. "There are always a few flamingos in Florida every year," Laakkonen said. He was the first to document a flamingo in Estero Bay several years ago, and he also visited a flock near the East Coast. This was the third time Laakkonen has seen wild flamingos. Laakkonen agreed about boaters and paddlers keeping their distance from the flamingo and the white pelicans it's currently feeding with. "So if people get too close and flush them repeatedly, the birds end up expending energy instead of conserving energy." "When they're wintering, they're here trying to fatten up and save energy for preparation for migration and breeding season," Wraithmell said. Wraithmell said it's important that anyone who sees a flamingo keep their distance so the bird can save energy for the long flights ahead. "It's really kind of exciting to see them coming back and an interesting success story to think that we could recover something that we thought was lost entirely." "For the longest time the prevailing wisdom was these birds were one that have escaped, but our scientists have used genetics to show that birds from the Caribbean are coming back to claim part of their home range," Wraithmell said. She and others hope it is the start of what will become a trend, that flamingos will again call Florida Bay and Everglades National Park home. "Everybody assumes they're this blush color like roseate spoonbills, but flamingos are loud (visually)," Wraithmell said. Julie Wraithmell, with Audubon Florida, saw the photos and said the discovery is important to the idea of reestablishing a year-round population here. "In the 1800s there were flamingos in the Everglades, and that's how Flamingo near Cape Sable got it's name," Laakkonen said. They thrived in the Everglades up until the 1800s, when plume hunters wiped out the South Florida population. Today the American flamingo exists primarily on islands in the Caribbean, the Bahamas and the northern coast of South America. The color comes from their diet, and if it's enough to keep the colors vivid, the bird is in excellent health." The American flamingo exists primarily on islands in the Caribbean, the Bahamas and the northern coast of South America "One way you can tell if it's healthy is that it's a nice plump bird, and the color. "From what I saw, that bird was very healthy and was not undersized," Laakkonen said. More likely, it's a bird from the Caribbean, the Bahamas or Mexico that has found a temporary home here. The bird is not banded, and Laakkonen said he has no reason to think it's an escapee from a wildlife exhibit or zoo.
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