Abstract
American Flamingos are among the most iconic—and rarest—of Florida’s native birds. Though historical large flocks were decimated by hunting, small groups of flamingos of unknown origin persist in Florida today. Here, we report a satellite telemetry study of an American Flamingo in Florida Bay, Florida, USA, over a 22-month period. The flamingo used an extensive tidal flat at Snake Bight (Everglades National Park) and numerous mangrove-fringed mudflats inside keys within Florida Bay. Movement patterns varied by time of day and time of year and indicated that movements were tracking hydroperiod and prey availability across a landscape mosaic of spatially and temporally variable resources. We used a community science platform (eBird) to assess reporting probability for this flamingo; reporting probability was very low despite the conspicuous nature of the species. Though our telemetry data are from a single individual, this study represents the first empirical field study of any wild flamingo in Florida. Our findings on habitat selection and movement will be foundational to developing evidence-based conservation strategies for flamingos.
Recommended Citation
Whitfield, Steven M.; Patterson, Judd M.; Pernas, Antonio; Davis, Michelle; Lorenz, Jerome J.; and Ridgley, Frank N.
(2021)
"Satellite Telemetry Reveals Habitat Selection and Movement Patterns of an American Flamingo In Florida Bay,"
Florida Field Naturalist: Vol. 49
:
Iss.
2
, Article 6.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/ffn/vol49/iss2/6