Appearance: Straight billed with light orange/red/brown coloration on the tip of its tail feathers and sometimes on the neck or chest with light spotting or streaking on the body.
Size: 35 inches in length and a wingspan of up to 4 feet
Lifespan: 10 to 12 years
Habitat: They can be seen in shallow, slow-moving, sheltered waters using nearby perches and banks for drying and sunning. It's rarely found out of freshwater except during severe droughts. Generally not found in extensive areas of open water, though it may nest on edges of open bays and lakes.
Diet: They eat many small to medium-sized wetland fishes, with very small amounts of crustaceans and invertebrates. It swims slowly underwater, stalking fish around submerged vegetation. Anhingas typically spear fish through their sides with a rapid thrust of their partially opened bill.
Reproduction: Anhingas usually nest in colonies, sometimes with other bird species. The nest is built by both adults and is used then from year to year. Two to five eggs are laid and incubation is for around 25 to 30 days, done by both parents.
Fun Fact: Also known as the snake bird or water turkey, the anhinga is a year-round resident of Florida.
Barred Owl
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Barred Owl(Strix varia)
Appearance: They are large, stocky owls with rounded heads, no ear tufts, and medium length, rounded tails. Their colloration is normally brown to grey with striping, hence the name "barred".
Size: The adult measures anywhere from 16 to 25 inches in length, while the wingspan may range from 38 to 49 inches.
Lifespan: 18 years is the oldest recorded age
Habitat: Strix varia is arboreal, living in coniferous forests near water source, and wooded swamps. They require dense foliage for daytime roosting, and large trees with cavities for nesting. Their reliance on large tree cavities means that populations of barred owls are dependent on the presence of old growth forests throughout much of their range.
Diet: Strix varia individuals are generalist carnivores, feeding on small mammals up to the size of rabbits, birds as large as grouse, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. Barred owls have been observed capturing fish from perches and by wading in shallow water. Without exception Strix varia hunts prey that can be swallowed whole. Hunting is mainly done from a perch. Once prey is spotted, barred owls swoop down upon prey and grab it with sharp talons. Like most owls, barred owls cache prey in tree branches and nests.
Reproduction: Although they prefer to nest in tree cavities, this species is known to use empty hawk nests, crows nests, or squirrel nests. A clutch of usually two to three eggs (range is from 1 to 5) will be laid in the nest; the female incubates the eggs for 28 to 33 days. Young do not hatch at the same time, since egg laying occurs over a period of days and incubation begins immediately. While the female incubates eggs the male will hunt for her. Barred owls are capable of breeding at about 2 years of age.
Fun Fact:They aremonogamous, pairing for life.
Black Crowned Night Heron
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Black Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Appearance: They are small herons with rather squat, thick proportions. They have thick necks, large, flat heads, and heavy, pointed bills. The legs are short and, in flight, barely reach the end of the tail. The wings are broad and rounded. They have a black cap, hence the name "black crowned" while the rest of their body is grey and white. Their bright red eyes can help distinguish them from other herons and egrets.
Size: They weigh between 1.5 and 2.2 pounds, have a wingspan of 45.3 to 46.5 inches and are 22.8 to 26 inches in length.
Lifespan: They are believed to live to about 3 years
Habitat: Common in wetlands across North America, including saltmarshes, freshwater marshes, swamps, streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, lagoons, tidal mudflats, canals, reservoirs, and wet agricultural fields. They require aquatic habitat for foraging and terrestrial vegetation for cover.
Diet: Mostly fish, but also squid, crustaceans, aquatic insects, frogs, snakes, clams, mussels, rodents, and carrion. They sometimes specialize on eggs and young birds which can cause problems in tern colonies.
Reproduction: Eggs are between 3 to 4, sometimes 1 to 7. They are pale green. Incubation is by both sexes, 21 to 26 days. Both parents feed young, by regurgitation. Young clamber about in the nest tree at 4 weeks and are able to fly at about 6 weeks. After 6 to 7 weeks they may follow parents to foraging areas and beg to be fed there.
Nesting: They usually reach reproductive maturity at age of 2 years. They breed in colonies, of their species or mixed with other herons, egrets, ibises, sometimes with Franklin's Gulls. Some colonies are occupied for several decades. They may begin nesting earlier in the season compared to other herons. Male choose the nest site and display there to attract a mate. Displays include stretching neck up and forward with feathers ruffed up and slowly bowing while raising feet alternately, giving hissing buzz at lowest point in bow. The nest site varies with colony situation, from on ground to more than 150' high, in trees, shrubs, marsh vegetation; most commonly 10 to 40' up and on firm support. Nests (built mostly by female with materials supplied by male) are a platform of sticks, flimsy or substantial.
Brown Pelican
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Brown Pelican(Pelecanus occidentalis)
Appearance: They are gray-brown birds with yellow heads and white necks. In breeding plumage, the back and sides of the neck turn a rich dark reddish-brown. Immatures are gray-brown above (including the head and neck) with pale whitish belly and breast.
Size: Adults weigh in at approx. 6.9 lbs. Their wingspan approx. 3.3 to 4.5 feet in length.
Lifespan: They live up to appox. 30 years.
Habitat: Brown pelicans inhabit beaches, sandbars, docks, dredge spoil islands, estuarine islands, mangrove islands, sand spits, and islets.
Diet: Almost all fish, also eats crustaceans
Reproduction: The brown pelican is a monogamous breeder within a breeding season, but does not pair for life. Nesting season peaks during March and April. The male chooses a nesting site and performs a display of head movements to attract a female. They lay three to four eggs, one brood per year, eggs are 2.6 to 3.4 in length, 1.3 to 1.4 in width, incubation period is 25 to 35 days, nesting period is 77 to 84 days.
Great Egret
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Great Egret(Casmerodius albus)
Appearance: They are a large white, wading bird with a S-curved neck and long, dagger-like, yellow bill. Their legs are long and black. The Great Egret flies slowly and with its neck retracted, which is an easy way to distinguish it in flight from storks, cranes, ibises, and spoonbills, which extend their necks in flight.
Size: The great egret is an impressive large bird with a huge wingspan of around 57 inches.
Adults are 1.5 to 3.3 lbs and 2.6 to 3.4 feet in length.
Lifespan: The oldest Great Egret lived to 22 years and 10 months.
Habitat: They generally hang around wetlands and other areas of water and can be found year round in Florida.
Diet: In addition to fish, their diet includes invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, other birds, and small mammals. They feed in a variety of wetlands, including marshes, swamps, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, tide flats, canals, and flooded fields.
Reproduction: Although Great Egrets are primarily solitary birds, they do congregate during mating season and can often be found nesting with other species in shrubs and trees over water. Both males and females exhibit long ornamental plumes during the mating season.
Northern Cardinal
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Northern Cardinal(Cardinals Cardinals)
Appearance: It has a black mask on its face, a crest on its head, and a short, cone-shaped bill. The mask on the female is usually lighter than the mask on the male. Cardinals are known for their bright red color, but only the male is red. The female is a dull brown or olive color with dull red on her wings and tail.
Size: They are about eight inches in length. They weigh approximatly 1.5 ounces
Lifespan: They typically reach an age of 3 years old, but they have the capacity to live up to 15 years in the wild.
Habitat: Found in areas with shrubs and/or small trees, such as our mangrove forest, including forest edges and interior, shrubby areas in logged and second-growth forests, marsh edges, grasslands with shrubs, successional fields, hedgerows in agricultural fields, plantings around buildings
Diet: They eat seeds, grains, fruits and insects.
Reproduction: These birds usually raise two broods of young a year. They mate in March and again from May to July. The female usually lays four eggs. The eggs take about 12 days to hatch. Cardinals usually build cup-shaped nests in small trees, bushes, shrubs and thick vines that are no more than three to eight feet off the ground. Their nests are made of twigs and bark and are lined with grass, moss and other soft materials. Young cardinals leave the nest after 11 days and they can fly within 20 days.
Osprey
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Osprey(Pandion halioaetus)
Appearance: Ospreys are brown above and white below, and overall they are whiter than most raptors. From below, the wings are mostly white with a prominent dark patch at the wrists. The head is white with a broad brown stripe through the eye. Juveniles have white spots on the back and buffy shading on the breast.
Size: Adults are approximately 1.7 to 2 feet in length and 3 lbs
Lifespan: Large raptors are known to live for approximately 15 to 20 years. Nearly half of young osprey can die within the first year.
Habitat: Their habitats are typically located near water, both fresh and salt, for easy access to prey. Nesting can often take place along seashores, coastal estuaries, salt marshes, lakes, reservoirs, and rivers.
Ospreys will migrate from wintering sites towards the southern coasts. During migration, ospreys can at times be seen over places far from water, including deserts.
Diet: Almost entirely fish. Typically feeds on fish 4 to 12" long. Type of fish involved varies with region with a concentration on species common in each locale, such as flounder, smelt, mullet, bullhead, sucker, gizzard shad. Aside from fish, they rarely eat small mammals, birds, or reptiles, perhaps mainly when fish are scarce.
Reproduction: On average, the female osprey lays around three brown speckled eggs in the spring, with a month-long incubation period.
Red bellied woodpecker
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Red-bellied woodpecker(Melanerpes carolina)
Appearance: They have a full head of bold red feathers, with zebra-like stripes on the backs and wings. They get their name from the rouging on their belly that is almost always out of sight.
Size: Approximately 9 inches in length with a wingspan up to 16 inches
Lifespan: Approximately 10 to 12 years
Habitat: They are common in many Eastern woodlands and forests, from old stands of oak and hickory to young hardwoods and pines. They will also often venture from forests to appear at backyard feeders.
Diet: They are omnivorous. Like most woodpeckers, they eat many insects. Diet may be more than 50% plant material at some seasons, including acorns and other nuts, wild and cultivated fruits, and seeds. Occasional items in their diet include tree frogs, eggs of small birds, oozing sap, and even small fish.
Reproduction: Most woodpeckers lay eggs during the spring and early summer, but it can depend on species and region as well as fluctuations in weather patterns from year to year. Some woodpeckers lay eggs during early to mid spring, usually between March and May.
The mated pair excavates a nesting area in an old stump or tree. Then the female lays four to six white eggs per clutch. Both parents put in the work to incubate the eggs per clutch. In the south they have 2 to 3 broods.
Sandwich Tern
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Sandwich Tern(Sterna sandvicensis)
Appearance: These birds are medium to large terns with grey upperparts, white underparts, a yellow-tipped black bill and a shaggy black crest which becomes less extensive in winter with a white crown. Young birds bear grey and brown scalloped plumage on their backs and wings.
Size: 4.6 to 11 ounces and 14 to 18 inches in length with a wingspan of 33 to 38 inches.
Lifespan: 12 to 30 years
Habitat: Coastal waters, jetties, beaches. They favor the warm waters near coastlines, often fairly shallow areas such as bays and estuaries near extensive beaches, mudflats. They sometimes forage farther out to sea. They nest on sandy islands, beaches, sandbars, in coastal lagoons or offshore.
Diet: Small schooling fish, as well as squid, shrimp, crustaceans, and insects. They capture prey by plunge-diving from the air into the sea, grasping the prey in the bill.
Reproduction: They usually reach reproductive maturity at age 3 to 4 years. They nest in colonies, very often associated with Royal Terns. Their courtship includes a high spiraling flight with long descending glides. On the ground, males feed fish to female. Another part of courtship involves both birds pointing their bills up, drooping their wings, and turning their heads from side to side. Nest sites are on the ground in an open spot. Nests (built by both sexes) are shallow scrape, sometimes lined with bits of debris. They nest in a ground scrape and lays one to three eggs, one to two, rarely three. The eggs are pale cream, blotched with black, brown, gray. Incubation is by both parents for 21 to 29 days.
Young: If the colony is subject to disturbance, young may leave the nest after a few days and gather in a group (called "creche") with others. Young birds recognize their own parents by voice. They will come out of the creche to be fed when they approach. They reach the age of first flight at about 28 to 32 days; young may remain with parents another 4 months.
White Ibis
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White Ibis(Eudocimus albus)
Appearance:Large, long-legged wading bird with a football-shaped body and a long, curved bill. Adults have white bodies, bright red legs, a bare patch of red skin around the eye, and a curved, red bill.
Size: Approximately 22 inches long with a wingspan of 37 inches. Males weigh in at between 1.924 to 2.780 lbs and 1.307 to 1.899 lbs for females.
Lifespan: They live between 16 and 27 years
Habitat: Coastal Marshes and wetlands
Diet: The diet of the white ibis primarily consists of crabs, crayfish, fish, snakes, frogs, and insects.
Reproduction: Ibis breed in large colonial groups along the coast and inland between February and October, with the peak in March to April. They breed once a year. They can lay between 1-7 eggs per season. It takes 21 to 22 days to get to the hatching stage. Average time to independence is 40 days.
