![]() ![]() That bird, affectionately called Pinky, has been seen with regularity ever since. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in the panhandle following Hurricane Michael in 2018. Hurricane-assisted birds were documented in Florida in 1927, 1965, 1972, and 1995. Occasionally, a single adult flamingo would show up in Florida. Over the next 90 years, any flamingo sighting was notable in the United States. Marks National Wildlife Refuge © anoldent Flickr / Creative Commons Pinky, the lone flamingo at Florida’s St. Beyond the 1930s, Florida flamingo reports were of isolated individuals. Despite thousands of birds likely forming established breeding colonies in at least the Keys throughout the 19 th Century, a combination of market hunting and habitat loss pushed the birds out of the state by the early 1900s. ![]() “It has happened several times with one or two birds.” Yet, he continues, “Seeing numbers like these, scattered all over the place is remarkable.” Florida Flamingosįree-range flamingos haven’t been icons in Florida for nearly a century. ( American Birding Association is maintaining a database of birds from the post-Idalia flamingo influx.)Īccording to naturalist and author Kenn Kaufman, there is precedent for flamingos being brought north with hurricanes. A couple of weeks removed from the blustery wind conditions flamingos have now been spotted in ten eastern states from Florida to Pennsylvania. One highly visible species that is making this storm system especially memorable for birders is the dayglow pink American flamingo. A smattering of sea species was also noted in the aftermath of Category 3 Hurricane Idalia which made landfall near, Keaton Beach, Florida’s Big Bend area, on the morning of August 30, 2023. In recent years, reports of storm driven inland seabirds have included frigatebirds, boobies, terns, and storm-petrels. Far removed from the natural destruction and human tragedy that plays out as hurricanes make landfall, the aftermath of a strong tropical storm system can provide unique opportunities for spotting rare birds. ![]()
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