NPS Photo Courtesy of Mary L. Beach
Bird Watching Spots
Stop in at one of our Visitor Centers to ask about recent sightings!
Homestead (Main Entrance)
Experience the Everglades through the main entrance in Homestead, Florida! See a list of popular trails to spot birdlife through this entrance below.
- Wading birds, cormorants, Purple Gallinules, and nesting Anhingas may be found along the path anytime of the day during the winter (dry) season.
- View our park calendar to see scheduled ranger-led programs at Royal Palm!
- Accessibility: 0.8 miles (1200 meters) round trip. Wheelchair accessible.
- Directions...
- Cape Sable Seaside Sparrows may be heard and seen early in the morning from the main park road during the spring. Bald Eagles and warblers are also active in the morning, while Barred Owls come out in the evening.
- View our park calendar to see scheduled ranger-led programs at Flamingo.
- Accessibility: 0.5 miles (800 meters) round trip. Wheelchair accessible.
- Directions...
- Roseate Spoonbills and many species of wading birds make appearances year round, while in the early spring a Wood Stork rookery dominates the mangroves of this small pond.
- Accessibility: No immediate trails; wheelchair accessible in the parking lot and maintained lawn.
- Directions: Paurotis Pond is located approximately 24 miles from the main park entrance near Homestead, adjacent to the park road to Flamingo.
- Snail Kites, wading birds, Wood Storks, Roseate Spoonbills, Limpkins, and White-crowned Pigeons make this spikerush community their home. The best times to find these birds is in the morning via canoe.
- View our park calendar to see scheduled ranger-led canoe programs at Flamingo / Nine Mile Pond!
- Accessibility: No immediate trails; wheelchair accessible in the parking lot and maintained lawn.
- Directions: Nine Mile Pond is located approximately 27 miles from the main park entrance near Homestead, adjacent to the park road to Flamingo.
- Warblers and Mangrove Cuckoos frequent the trail in the morning hours while wading birds, shorebirds, and flamingos sometimes feed near the boardwalk at high tide.
- Accessibility: 1.6 miles (2.6 km) one way. Not wheelchair accessible.
- Directions...
- Most of the year only a few ducks and wading birds, but for a few days during some winters, large numbers of wading birds, including Roseate Spoonbills and Wood Storks, move in to feast.
- Directions: Mrazek Pond is located approximately 3 miles north of the Flamingo Visitor Center.
- Wading birds, American Coots, Osprey, White-crowned Pigeons, warblers, Red-shouldered Hawks, Anhingas, rails, Painted Buntings and other transients are best viewed here in the morning.
- Directions...
- Accessibility: 0.5 miles (800 meters) round trip. Not wheelchair accessible.
Shark Valley (Miami)
Discover the wonders of the Shark River Slough and the plentiful birdlife that calls it home! See popular trails and directions below.
- Wood Storks, Limpkins, Snail Kite, Anhingas, and other wading birds may be found throughout the day along the tram road. Visitors often enjoy riding bicycles or walking to find wildlife.
- View our park calendar for scheduled ranger-led programs at Shark Valley!
- Directions...
Gulf Coast (Everglades City)
The Gulf Coast serves as the gateway for exploring the Ten Thousand Islands, a maze of mangrove islands and waterways that extends to Flamingo and Florida Bay.
- Wading birds, cormorants, Osprey, Bald Eagles, pelicans, and shorebirds can be observed from the visitor center or by boat in the 10,000 Islands. Peregrine Falcons, Swallow-tailed Kites, Wood Storks, skimmers, and a variety of warblers make a seasonal appearance.
- Visitors often enjoy paddling or taking boat trips on the water to view the coastal wildlife in this area of the park.
- View our park calendar to see scheduled ranger-led programs at Gulf Coast!
- Directions...