Birds of South Florida — Tropical Audubon Society (2024)

Introduced Birds

South Florida’s avifauna includes an ever-growing list of parrots and other non-native species, many of which have become established in our area. Locations to search for many of these introduced species are included on this page. Species considered established and countable by the American Birding Association (ABA) include Egyptian Goose, Muscovy Duck, Indian Peafowl, Red Junglefowl, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Gray-headed Swamphen, Monk Parakeet, Nanday Parakeet, Mitred Parakeet, Red-masked Parakeet, White-winged Parakeet, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Red-crowned Parrot, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Red-whiskered Bulbul, European Starling, Common Myna, Scaly-breasted Munia, House Sparrow and Spot-breasted Oriole. Some of these species are only ABA-countable in certain areas within south Florida. For details, see the ABA Area Introduced Species page.

Vagrant Birds

An amazing array of vagrant birds have shown up in south Florida over the years. Many of these species are native to the Bahamas or islands in the Caribbean, while others are from northern and western North America. A few have come from as far away as Mexico or Central and South America and even from Europe or Asia. Vagrant seabirds are sometimes found at coastal sea watch locations or during boat trips offshore. Though there are no guaranteed places to see these species, locations where many have been seen in the past are included on this page. If any have been sighted lately, they will be listed on the South Florida Rare Bird Update.

Some of the interesting Bahamian and Caribbean species seen in south Florida since 2000 include White-cheeked Pintail, Masked Duck, American Flamingo, Least Grebe, Ruddy Quail-Dove, Key West Quail-Dove, Zenaida Dove, Antillean Palm-Swift, Neotropic Cormorant, Stygian Owl, Short-eared Owl (Antillean race), Cuban Pewee, La Sagra's Flycatcher, Loggerhead Kingbird, Cuban Vireo, Thick-billed Vireo, Bahama Swallow, Bahama Mockingbird, Red-legged Thrush, Western Spindalis, Bananaquit, Yellow-faced Grassquit and Black-faced Grassquit. Additionally, species of uncertain origin such as Cuban Grassquit and Cuban Bullfinch have been occasionally found here.

Included in the long list of vagrant species from northern and western North America are Greater White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Brant, Cinnamon Teal, Common Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Eared Grebe, Broad-billed Hummingbird, Pacific Golden-Plover, Hudsonian Godwit, Surfbird, Purple Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper, Heermann’s Gull, Iceland Gull, Glaucous Gull, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Hammond’s Flycatcher, Say’s Phoebe, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Cassin’s Kingbird, Horned Lark, Violet-green Swallow, Mountain Bluebird, Bicknell’s Thrush, Northern Wheatear, Common Redpoll, Lapland Longspur, Smith’s Longspur, Harris’s Sparrow, Le Conte’s Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Spotted Towhee, Bullock’s Oriole, Rusty Blackbird, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Kirtland’s Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend’s Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak and Lazuli Bunting. Some northern and western species that were previously considered vagrants but have become annual or almost annual in south Florida in recent years include Rufous Hummingbird, Lesser Nighthawk, Alder Flycatcher, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Vermilion Flycatcher, Bell’s Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Lark Sparrow, Yellow-headed Blackbird and Western Tanager.

Species of primarily Mexican and Central and South American origin that have appeared in south Florida have included White-tipped Dove, Groove-billed Ani, Dark-billed Cuckoo, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Large-billed Tern, Zone-tailed Hawk, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Piratic Flycatcher, Variegated Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Yellow-green Vireo, Tropical Mockingbird and Red-legged Honeycreeper. European and Asian vagrants have included Eurasian Wigeon, Bar-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, Gray-tailed Tattler, Black-headed Gull, Slaty-backed Gull and European Robin, while vagrant seabirds have included South Polar Skua, Long-tailed Jaeger, Dovekie, Razorbill, Black-legged Kittiwake, Sabine’s Gull, Black Noddy, White-tailed Tropicbird, Red-billed Tropicbird, European Storm-Petrel, Fea’s Petrel, Black-capped Petrel, Manx Shearwater and Red-footed Booby.

Miami-Dade County Checklist

All of the ABA-countable birds that have been recorded within Miami-Dade County are listed here.

Over 75 species of parrots have been recorded in urban and suburban Florida; of these, at least 20 species have bred in the state. Eight of our parrots are currently ABA-countable: Monk and Nanday Parakeet (statewide), White-winged, Yellow-chevroned, Mitred and Red-masked Parakeet (Miami region), Red-crowned Parrot (Ft. Lauderdale and Palm Beach region) and Rose-ringed Parakeet (Naples region).

Note: White-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris versicolurus) and Yellow-chevroned Parakeet (Brotogeris chiriri) were once considered the same species; Canary-winged Parakeet. This species was split in 1997.

The most reliable way to locate parrots in residential neighborhoods is by driving side streets with the windows down, listening for squawking. Early morning and late afternoon are most productive. As always when birding in urban areas, common sense is essential. Avoid birding alone. Lock car doors and secure valuables out of sight. Do not trespass on private property.

Monk Parakeet

References

• Herbert Raffaele et al., “A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies,” Princeton University Press, 1998.

• William B. Robertson, Jr. and Glen E. Woolfenden, “Florida Bird Species: An Annotated List,” Florida Ornithological Society, 1992.

• Henry M. Stevenson and Bruce H. Anderson, “The Birdlife of Florida,” University Press of Florida, 1994

Need More Info?

A variety of birding and nature books are available on amazon.com, including Brian Rapoza's Birding Florida, which covers many birding locations throughout the state.