Important Bird Areas: Peninsular Florida
The sites listed here come from The American Bird Conservancy Guide to the 500 Most Important Bird Areas in the United States (2003). The northern part of peninsular Florida is a transitional zone where the pine and bottomland hardwood forests of the coastal plain merge with the more tropical elements of south Florida; Red-cockaded Woodpecker and Swallow-tailed Kites extend into this area. The scrub oaks of central Florida's Lake Wales Ridge are a center of endemism that shelter most of the world's Florida Scrub-Jays. Throughout the peninsula, colonies of Wood Stork, Glossy Ibis, herons and egrets can be found, along with Brown Pelicans, various terns and Black Skimmer on coastal islands. In subtropical south Florida, mangroves and tropical hammocks are home to many Caribbean birds, including Snail Kites, Short-tailed Hawks, Limpkins, White-crowned Pigeons, Mangrove Cuckoos, and Black-whiskered Vireos. There is also much habitat for migrating and wintering birds on the peninsula.
avg. score: 10 of 28 (38%)
required scores: 1, 2, 3, 6, 28
