Florida Wild Bird Identification
- The Florida Everglades attract many birds.EVERGLADES OF FLORIDA image by SKYDIVECOP from Fotolia.com
Though the state lacks much topographic relief, its landscapes are varied. Florida features prairies, pine woodlands, cypress swamps, mangrove keys, barrier islands and marshes--not least the immensely unique Everglades, the famous "sea of grass" that dominates much of the state's southern tip. All of these habitats are rich in bird-watching potential. Scouting for birds in the piney woods of north Florida may result in sightings of species common to a broad belt of the southern United States, while doing so in the mangrove swamps of the South Florida coast is more akin to birding along a Caribbean coastline. - When observing a Florida bird, first establish its basic physical characteristics. Does it possess the long-necked, long-legged, long-billed and sleek body conformation of a heron, for example? If so, what color is the plumage, and in what pattern? A tricolored heron reveals more mottled color in its mainly blue feathers than the similarly sized little blue heron, a more uniform cerulean hue.
- The wood stork is on the larger end of Florida's birds.Wood stork image by Jill Ludbrook from Fotolia.com
Gauging a bird's size is a useful diagnostic for its identification. Florida's avifauna ranges broadly in this regard. You might spot a miniscule ruby-throated hummingbird in many parts of the state, weighing less than 1 oz. Conversely, you might be dealing with some of the state's huge wading birds: great blue herons, whooping cranes, wood storks and the occasional flamingo, for example. - Watching the activities of the bird in question is a good approach to ascertaining its species. A bird in silhouette, its plumage pattern masked from view, might still reveal itself as a woodpecker if it darts up and down a tree trunk, its body roughly parallel with the wood: Florida has several species, like the red-bellied, red-headed and hairy woodpeckers. An osprey might roughly resemble a bald eagle or even one of Florida's vulture species at a distance, but its spectacular dives to catch fish--sometimes resulting in the bird nearly submerging itself--are unmistakable.
- Florida's pleasant climate has proven to be inviting to a host of exotic, or non-native, animals, including birds. For example, the ornithologist and author David Allen Sibley, writing in his "Sibley Guide to Birds" (2000), notes that more than 65 kinds of parrots have been confirmed in the state. In other words, don't be surprised if you find a truly exotic feathered creature in your field of view: Nearly anything might turn up, either escaped from a zoo or animal park or deliberately set loose by a pet owner.
