International Flamingo Day: Zoo Miami Committed To Conservation Of State's Iconic Bird
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Monday, April 26th is International Flamingo Day and when people think of South Florida, they think of flamingos!
Florida's American Flamingos are one the state's most iconic and charismatic birds, but did you know that in the 19th century, flocks were decimated by overhunting for food and feathers. By the 20th century, flamingos in Florida were so rare, biologists believed any seen in the wild had escaped from captive populations.
Flamingos were ultimately classified as a non-native species, which would preclude any active conservation efforts to help them return to Florida.
However, Zoo Miami is committed to the conservation of Florida's American Flamingos and in 2018, along with conservation partners, published a landmark study to correct the record on flamingos' status in Florida. It showed strong evidence for large historical flocks, evidence for historical nesting, and surprising evidence for slow growth in Florida's flamingo population since approximately 1950.
With this data in hand, biologists led by Zoo Miami petitioned Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to review newly available data to determine whether flamingos warrant inclusion on Florida's list of endangered species. FWC conducted a nearly 3-year Biological Status Review, involving FWC staff, external conservation biologists and wading bird experts.
Last week, FWC released a draft BSR which does not recommend listing but affirms that flamingos are a native species with historical presence. The BSR states a need for more research and monitoring for flamingos within Florida, and encourages their return to south Florida.
Zoo Miami is using cutting-edge research to understand the origins of Florida's flamingos.
In 2015, Zoo Miami and partners outfitted an American Flamingo, "Conchy," with a satellite transmitter in an effort to understand the origins of Florida's flamingos.
While the team expected Conchy to leave Florida quickly for Cuba, the Bahamas, or Mexico, Conchy remained in Florida Bay for nearly two years before his transmitter failed. This ultimately provided no information on his origins, but suggested flamingos may find Florida a suitable home. The Zoo's research team is currently working with partners on genetic analysis of flamingos through their range to better understand origins of Florida's birds.
Today, Zoo Miami is happy to announce the creation of the Florida Flamingo Working Group (FFWG). The FFWG is a coalition of scientists and conservationists who share a mission to promote conservation and awareness of American Flamingos in Florida and throughout their range. Its goals are to help Florida's native flamingo population recover, to ensure healthy habitats for flamingos everywhere, to help coordinate research and management needs for flamingos, and to raise awareness of flamingo conservation in Florida and beyond.
