Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Pine flatwoods, Marsh, River

Diet: fish, carrion, ducks, gulls

SPECIES ALERT! Threatened– proposed for delisting

Florida has the largest population of bald eagles in the contiguous 48 states. Males and females look the same but the female is larger. Bald eagle pairs nest for life and build large (to 8’ across) stick nests atop pine trees. One brood,
usually with 2 babies, is raised annually. After a ban on the use of pesticides and protective legislation bald eagle populations have been increasing.

Barred Owl (Strix varia)

Oak Hammock, Swamp

Diet: rodents, birds, frogs, crayfish

It is not unusual to spot this nocturnal bird perched on horizontal branches, about 12’ off the ground, during the day in the hammock. Built to capture prey, owls have a sharp beak
and talons, silent wing tips, and great night vision and hearing. The barred nests in tree cavities where the female will lay 2-4 well hidden white eggs. The very distinctive call, ‘whocooks-
for-you---who-cooks-for-you-all,’ can be heard throughout the hammock and swamp.

Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)

Pine flatwoods, Oak Hammock

Diet: carrion, occasional small live mammals

The smallest and most sociable of our two vultures,the black vulture often roosts with other vultures. A naked black head, short tail and light grey wing tips make identification easy.
Unlike the turkey vulture, the black vulture flies with its wings straight out to the side. Vultures, usually silent, will occasionally grunt or hiss when feeding or nesting. Vultures lack feathers
on their head and legs, a useful adaptation that keeps carrion feeding insects away.

Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway)

Pine flatwoods

Diet: carrion, frogs, reptiles, small animals

SPECIES ALERT! Threatened

A very distinctive bird of prey, the crested caracara has a large head with a black crest and a long neck with a white throat. These falcons build a bulky nest of slender vines and sticks usually in a cabbage palm. Caracaras capture prey on the ground and in the air and prefer open grassland areas. The caracara is both a scavenger, often eating carrion with vultures, and a predator of small mammals.

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)

Pine flatwoods

Diet: insects and fruit

A small bird characterized by a blue back, robinred breast, and rusty throat. A cavity nester, the bluebird takes over an old woodpecker tree cavity, a snag or a man-made nest box. Bluebirds can be seen perching, waiting to drop down to
the ground for insects. Our bluebird is a common local year round resident whose population has swelled with the increased availability of man-made nest boxes.

Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio)

Pine Flatwoods, Oak Hammock, Swamp

Diet: large insects, small mammals, birds, snakes

The ‘ear tufts’ of the screech owl are not real ears--they are special feathers that assist in daytime camouflage. All owls have ears that are actually 2 holes hidden on the sides of the head, asymmetrically placed to facilitate sound wave
orientation. Screech owls can be either gray or red, a permanent coloration called a ‘morph’ or ‘phase.’ This nocturnal owl’s quavering, mournful call is easy to identify. A cavity nester, the screech owl may move into vacated woodpecker holes.

Florida Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis pratensis)

Pine Flatwoods, Marsh, River

Diet: insects, fruit, plants, frogs, reptiles, small mammals

SPECIES ALERT! Threatened

Two subspecies of the sandhill crane live in Florida, the Florida sandhill crane, a year-round breeding resident, and the greater sandhill crane, (G.c. tabida) a subspecies that nests in the Great Lakes region and winters in Florida. Usually heard before they are seen, these cranes produce a rattling type of call. Local cranes build nests of grass and aquatic plants in shallow water in the Sawgrass Marsh and adjacent area marshes.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Swamp, Marsh, River

Diet: fish, frogs, insects, snakes, young alligators, small mammals

Commonly seen stalking fish in shallow waters this heron is an opportunist, striking at mice and other animals within its reach. When flying, this heron will hold its neck in an S curve with its
long legs trailing behind. Great blue herons nest in colonies of up to 100 birds, in treetops on or near open water. Common in saltwater and freshwater habitats in Florida.

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

Swamp, Marsh, River

Diet: fish, aquatic insects, frogs, crayfish

A large all-white waterbird, the great egret has a yellow beak and black legs, unlike the smaller snowy egret which has a black beak and yellow legs. Hunted to near extinction in the early 1900’s for its beautiful breeding season plumes
(called aigrette’s) this egret population has made a dramatic comeback, but is still less than 10% of the historic population. The Great Egret is seen in breeding season in mixed flocks with other herons, egrets, bitterns, and pelicans.

Indigo Bunting (Passerina ayanea)

Pine Flatwoods, Oak Hammock

Diet: insects, seeds, fruits

A small goldfinch sized bird the summer male indigo bunting appears dark except in very bright light. As is true with all blue-feathered birds, no true blue colored feather can be found
in nature. It is the refraction of bright sunlight through the structure of a black feather that makes the feather appear blue and even iridescent. Buntings migrate to central and south Florida for the winter where both sexes take on a
dark brown plumage.

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

Marsh, River

Diet: rodents, reptiles, occasionally birds

Harriers are hawks known for their distinctive hunting behavior, flying low over open marsh (hence the old name ‘marsh hawk’) or field searching for prey. A diurnal (daytime) raptor, harrier males, females, and juveniles can easily be recognized by their white rumps. The diskshaped face of the harrier helps to amplify sounds, allowing the harrier to hear better than most hawks.

Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)

Pine flatwoods

Diet: locusts & other insects, frogs, lizards, mice

The shrike is a songbird that acts like a bird of prey. Because its feet are too weak to hold prey the shrike uses its thick hook-tipped beak to catch small animals and ‘skewer’ them on
thorns, barbed wire, fences and other sharp pointed objects. The shrike stores or holds its prey there while tearing it apart to eat. Sometimes called the ‘butcher bird’ for this amazing
feat, shrikes sit on high perches searching for prey.

Northern Parula (Parula Americana)

Pine flatwoods

Diet: insects

The northern parula warbler migrates through central Florida from March – September spending the winters in the West Indies. The parula builds a nest of Spanish moss usually in a small fork of a branch. Our only eastern warbler with a yellow throat and blue back this 4” bird uses its thin bill to capture insects.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Marsh, River

Diet: fish

SPECIES ALERT! Species of Special Concern in
the Lower Florida Keys

Man-made nesting platforms built over water and a pesticide ban restored our country’s osprey population. Nicknamed the ‘fish hawk,’ the osprey’s hunting style is to plunge feet first into the water to catch a fish at or just below the surface. The fish is then quickly carried to a nearby roost,
away from the watchful eye of a hungry bald eagle. In flight, the white belly of the osprey identifies it from the brown belly of the bald eagle.

Red Bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

Pine flatwoods, Oak Hammock

Diet: grasshoppers & other insects, acorns, fruit

One of our ‘ladder backed’ or ‘zebra backed’ woodpeckers, the red-bellied is about half the size of the pileated woodpecker. ‘Red-bellied’ is a misnomer as this bird has a light colored belly with only a tinge of red feathers. A cavity nester, the red-bellied excavates round holes in trees, usually returning to the same tree to excavate a new nest below that of the previous year. All woodpeckers have stiff, spiny tails that they prop against a tree for support and legs with 4 toes.

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

Pine flatwoods, Oak Hammock

Diet: carpenter ants, grubs and other insects

North America’s second largest woodpecker, a pointed red crest and solid black back identify this bird. In the male the forehead and mustache are red while in the female they are black. The chiseled, thick silver bill is used to drum on trees
to announce territory and to dig oval shaped holes. Their long sticky tongue is used to reach into carpenter ant burrows beneath the bark, a favorite food. The ‘Woody Woodpecker’ of cartoon fame was modeled after this woodpecker.

Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forfocatus)

Pine flatwoods, Swamp, Marsh, River

Diet: insects, snakes, lizards, tree frogs, mammals

Shaped like a swallow, with the characteristic pointed wings, and built with the slim body of a falcon, this kite is our most aerial bird of prey. While in flight this raptor captures insects,
drinks water by skimming the surface of ponds, and gathers nesting material by breaking off dead twigs from the tree tops. Our kite winters in the tropics and returns to Florida in the early spring to build a moss lined twig nest in a tall
tree in or near a swamp.

Red Shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

Pine flatwoods, Oak Hammock, Swamp

Diet: snakes, frogs, large insects, birds, small mammals

A common woodland buteo, with broad wings and a broad banded tail, this hawk is often seen perched on tree tops, poles, and barn roofs hunting for prey. The very distinct call, a slurred 2 syllable scream, ‘kee-yer,’ is not easily mistaken in this hawk’s hammock and swamp habitats. A diurnal (daytime) bird of prey, this hawk is readily seen and enjoyed.

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

Pine flatwoods, Oak Hammock

Diet: carrion

The larger of our two vultures, its naked red head and legs make identification easy. Turkey vultures are often seen riding on rising columns of warm air called thermals to save energy. These birds fly with wings outstretched in a V pattern, remaining motionless as they ride a thermal. Vultures locate carcasses with their> keen sense of smell aided by their great eyesight. Not nest builders, these vultures lay 2 eggs on the ground or on a stump in palmetto.
Turkey vultures usually can be seen roosting together
at night.

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

Pine Flatwoods, Oak Hammock, Swamp, Marsh

Diet: insects, seeds, fruit

Florida's largest game bird, the turkey has made a major comeback since protection programs and restocking efforts were nitiated. Built to survive, the turkey has excellent hearing, eyesight 3 times better than ours, and the ability to run fast and fly up to 60mph. A wary nature and nests built above water keep predators such as bobcats away. Tom turkeys may have harems of up to 20 hens.