List of birds of Biscayne National Park facts for kids

This is a comprehensive listing of bird species recorded in Biscayne National Park, which is in the U.S. state of Florida. This list is based on one published by the National Park Service (NPS) with species confirmed through December 21, 2017. The list contains 213 species, of which 12 are accidental and eight have been introduced (see below). With one exception, introduced species recorded in the Park that do not have established populations according to the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee (FOSRC) are not included here.

This list is presented in the taxonomic sequence of the Check-list of North and Middle American Birds, 7th edition through the 63rd Supplement, published by the American Ornithological Society (AOS). Common and scientific names are also those of the Check-list, except that the common names of families are from the Clements taxonomy because the AOS list does not include them.

The following status codes have been used to annotate some species:

• (A) Accidental - a species that occurs rarely or accidentally in Florida, and for which the FOSRC requests a full report for verification
• (I) Introduced - a species that has been introduced to North America by the actions of humans, either directly or indirectly, and has become established in Florida

Ducks, geese, and waterfowl

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae

The family Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to special oils.

Flamingoes

Order: Phoenicopteriformes   Family: Phoenicopteridae

Flamingoes are gregarious wading birds, usually 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 m) tall, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Flamingos filter-feed on shellfish and algae. Their oddly shaped beaks are adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume and, uniquely, are used upside-down.

• American flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber

Grebes

Order: Podicipediformes   Family: Podicipedidae

Grebes are small to medium-large freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land.

• Pied-billed grebe, Podilymbus podiceps
• Horned grebe, Podiceps auritus

Pigeons and doves

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks, and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.

• Rock pigeon, Columba livia (I)
• White-crowned pigeon, Patagioenas leucocephala
• Eurasian collared-dove, Streptopelia decaocto (I)
• Common ground dove, Columbina passerina
• Key West quail-dove, Geotrygon chrysia (A)
• White-winged dove, Zenaida asiatica
• Mourning dove, Zenaida macroura

Cuckoos

Order: Cuculiformes   Family: Cuculidae

The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners, and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs.

• Smooth-billed ani, Crotophaga ani
• Yellow-billed cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus
• Mangrove cuckoo, Coccyzus minor
• Black-billed cuckoo, Coccyzus erythropthalmus

Nightjars and allies

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Caprimulgidae

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs, and very short bills. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is cryptically colored to resemble bark or leaves.

• Common nighthawk, Chordeiles minor
• Chuck-will's-widow, Antrostomus carolinensis
• Eastern whip-poor-will, Antrostomus vociferus

Hummingbirds

Order: Apodiformes   Family: Trochilidae

Hummingbirds are small birds capable of hovering in mid-air due to the rapid flapping of their wings. They are the only birds that can fly backwards.

• Ruby-throated hummingbird, Archilochus colubris

Rails, gallinules, and coots

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Rallidae

The Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails, crakes, coots, and gallinules. The most typical family members occupy dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps, or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive, making them difficult to observe. Most have strong legs with long toes, short rounded wings, and are weak fliers.

• Clapper rail, Rallus crepitans
• Common gallinule, Gallinula galeata
• American coot, Fulica americana

Stilts and avocets

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Recurvirostridae

Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds which includes the avocets and stilts. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills.

• Black-necked stilt, Himantopus mexicanus
• American avocet, Recurvirostra americana

Oystercatchers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Haematopodidae

The oystercatchers are large, conspicuous, and noisy plover-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.

• American oystercatcher, Haematopus palliatus

Plovers and lapwings

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

The family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short thick necks, and long, usually pointed, wings. They are generally found in open country, mostly in habitats near water.

• Black-bellied plover, Pluvialis squatarola
• Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus
• Semipalmated plover, Charadrius semipalmatus
• Piping plover, Charadrius melodus
• Wilson's plover, Charadrius wilsonia

Sandpipers and allies

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae

Scolopacidae is a large and diverse family of small to medium-sized shorebirds which includes the sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, tattlers, woodcocks, snipes, dowitchers, and phalaropes. Most eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or sand. Different lengths of legs and bills enable multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.

Skuas and jaegers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Stercorariidae

Skuas are medium to large seabirds, typically with gray or brown plumage, often with white markings on the wings. They have longish bills with hooked tips and webbed feet with sharp claws. They look like large dark gulls, but have a fleshy cere above the upper mandible. They are strong, acrobatic fliers.

• Pomarine jaeger, Stercorarius pomarinus
• Parasitic jaeger, Stercorarius parasiticus

Gulls, terns, and skimmers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

The Laridae are a family of medium to large seabirds and containing the gulls, terns, kittiwakes, and skimmers. They are typically gray or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet.

Tropicbirds

Order: Phaethontiformes   Family: Phaethontidae

Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their long wings have black markings, as does the head.

• Red-billed tropicbird, Phaeton aethereus (A)

Loons

Order: Gaviiformes   Family: Gaviidae

Loons are aquatic birds the size of a large duck, to which they are unrelated. Their plumage is largely gray or black and they have spear-shaped bills. Loons swim well and fly adequately but, because their legs are placed towards the rear of the body, are clumsy on land.

• Red-throated loon, Gavia stellata
• Common loon, Gavia immer

Southern storm-petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Oceanitidae

The storm-petrels are the smallest seabirds, relatives of the petrels, feeding on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the ocean's surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.

• Wilson's storm-petrel, Oceanites oceanicus

Shearwaters and petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae

The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterized by united tubular nostrils with a median septum.

• Audubon's shearwater, Puffinus lherminieri

Storks

Order: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae

Storks are large, heavy, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long stout bills and wide wingspans. They lack the powder down that other wading birds such as herons, spoonbills and ibises use to clean off fish slime. Storks lack a pharynx and are mute.

• Wood stork, Mycteria americana

Frigatebirds

Order: Suliformes   Family: Fregatidae

Frigatebirds are large seabirds usually found over tropical oceans. They are large, black, or black-and-white, with long wings and deeply forked tails. The males have colored inflatable throat pouches. They do not swim or walk and cannot take off from a flat surface. Having the largest wingspan-to-body-weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for more than a week.

• Magnificent frigatebird, Fregata magnificens

Boobies and gannets

Order: Suliformes   Family: Sulidae

The sulids comprise the gannets and boobies. Both groups are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish.

• Brown booby, Sula leucogaster
• Red-footed booby, Sula sula (A)
• Northern gannet, Morus bassanus

Anhingas

Order: Suliformes   Family: Anhingidae

Anhingas, also known as darters or snakebirds, are cormorant-like water birds with long necks and long, straight beaks. They are fish eaters, diving for long periods, and often swim with only their neck above the water, looking rather like a water snake.

• Anhinga, Anhinga anhinga

Cormorants and shags

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae

Cormorants are medium-to-large aquatic birds, usually with mainly dark plumage and areas of colored skin on the face. The bill is long, thin, and sharply hooked. Their feet are four-toed and webbed.

• Double-crested cormorant, Nannopterum auritum

Pelicans

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are very large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak. Like other birds in the order Pelecaniformes, they have four webbed toes.

• American white pelican, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
• Brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis

Herons, egrets, and bitterns

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Ardeidae

The family Ardeidae contains the herons, egrets, and bitterns. Herons and egrets are wading birds with long necks and legs. Herons are large and egrets are smaller. The cattle egret or "cow bird" is seen amongst flocks of cattle, for instance in ranches north of the Everglades. A bird will often attach itself to a particular bull, cow or calf, even being tolerated perching on the back or even the head of the animal. The birds are more shy than the animals, and will fly away if approached. The birds feed on various items turned over by the cattle as they graze and tramp the ground. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more secretive. Unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises, and spoonbills, members of the Ardeidae fly with their necks pulled back into a curve.

• Great blue heron, Ardea herodias
• Great egret, Ardea alba
• Snowy egret, Egretta thula
• Little blue heron, Egretta caerulea
• Tricolored heron, Egretta tricolor
• Reddish egret, Egretta rufescens
• Cattle egret, Bubulcus ibis
• Green heron, Butorides virescens
• Black-crowned night-heron, Nycticorax nycticorax
• Yellow-crowned night-heron, Nyctanassa violacea

Ibises and spoonbills

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Threskiornithidae

The family Threskiornithidae includes the ibises and spoonbills. They have long, broad wings. Their bodies are elongated, the neck more so, with long legs. The bill is also long, curved downward in the ibises, straight and markedly flattened in the spoonbills.

• White ibis, Eudocimus albus
• Glossy ibis, Plegadis falcinellus
• Roseate spoonbill, Platalea ajaja

New World vultures

Order: Cathartiformes   Family: Cathartidae

New World vultures are not closely related to Old World vultures, but superficially resemble them because of convergent evolution. Like the Old World vultures, they are scavengers. Unlike Old World vultures, which find carcasses by sight, New World vultures have a good sense of smell with which they locate carcasses.

• Black vulture, Coragyps atratus
• Turkey vulture, Cathartes aura

Osprey

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Pandionidae

Pandionidae is a family of fish-eating birds of prey possessing a very large, powerful hooked beak for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight. The family is monotypic.

• Osprey, Pandion haliaetus

Hawks, eagles, and kites

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey that includes hawks, eagles, kites, harriers, and Old World vultures. They have very large, hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight.

• Northern harrier, Circus hudsonius
• Sharp-shinned hawk, Accipiter striatus
• Cooper's hawk, Accipiter cooperii
• Bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus
• Snail kite, Rostrhamus sociabilis
• Red-shouldered hawk, Buteo lineatus
• Broad-winged hawk, Buteo platypterus
• Short-tailed hawk, Buteo brachyurus
• Red-tailed hawk, Buteo jamaicensis

Barn-owls

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Tytonidae

Barn-owls are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long strong legs with powerful talons.

• Barn owl, Tyto alba

Owls

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae

Typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak, and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.

• Eastern screech-owl, Megascops asio
• Great horned owl, Bubo virginianus
• Barred owl, Strix varia

Kingfishers

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.

• Belted kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon

Woodpeckers

Order: Piciformes   Family: Picidae

Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails, and long tongues used for capturing insects. Some species have feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward, while several species have only three toes. Many woodpeckers have the habit of tapping noisily on tree trunks with their beaks.

• Red-bellied woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus
• Yellow-bellied sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius
• Downy woodpecker, Dryobates pubescens
• Northern flicker, Colaptes auratus
• Pileated woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus

Falcons and caracaras

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

The Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey containing the falcons and caracaras. They differ from hawks, eagles, and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their talons.

• American kestrel, Falco sparverius
• Merlin, Falco columbarius
• Peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus

New World and African parrots

Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittacidae

Characteristic features of parrots include a strong curved bill, an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed zygodactyl feet. Many parrots are vividly colored, and some are multi-colored. In size they range from 8 cm (3.1 in) to 1 m (3.3 ft) in length. Most of the more than 150 species in this family are found in the New World.

• Monk parakeet, Myiopsitta monachus (I)

Tyrant flycatchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Tyrannidae

Tyrant flycatchers are passerines which occur throughout North and South America. They superficially resemble the Old World flycatchers, but are more robust and have stronger bills. They do not have the sophisticated vocal capabilities of the songbirds. Most, but not all, are rather plain. As the name implies, most are insectivorous.

• Great crested flycatcher, Myiarchus crinitus
• La Sagra's flycatcher, Myiarchus sagrae (A)
• Western kingbird, Tyrannus verticalis
• Gray kingbird, Tyrannus dominicensis
• Eastern wood-pewee, Contopus virens
• Eastern phoebe, Sayornis phoebe

Vireos, shrike-babblers, and erpornis

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Vireonidae

The vireos are a group of small to medium-sized passerines restricted to the New World. They are typically greenish in color and resemble wood warblers apart from their heavier bills.

• White-eyed vireo, Vireo griseus
• Bell's vireo, Vireo bellii
• Yellow-throated vireo, Vireo flavifrons
• Red-eyed vireo, Vireo olivaceus
• Black-whiskered vireo, Vireo altiloquus

Shrikes

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Laniidae

Shrikes are passerines known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A shrike's beak is hooked, like that of a typical bird of prey.

• Loggerhead shrike, Lanius ludovicianus

Crows, jays, and magpies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Corvidae

The family Corvidae includes crows, ravens, jays, choughs, magpies, treepies, nutcrackers, and ground jays. Corvids are above average in size among the Passeriformes and some of the larger species show high levels of intelligence.

• Blue jay, Cyanocitta cristata
• American crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
• Fish crow, Corvus ossifragus

Swallows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae

The family Hirundinidae is adapted to aerial feeding. They have a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings, and a short bill with a wide gape. The feet are adapted to perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partly joined at the base.

• Tree swallow, Tachycineta bicolor
• Northern rough-winged swallow, Stelgidopteryx serripennis
• Purple martin, Progne subis
• Barn swallow, Hirundo rustica

Kinglets

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Regulidae

The kinglets are a small family of birds which resemble the titmice. They are very small insectivorous birds in the genus Regulus. The adults have colored crowns, giving rise to their name.

• Ruby-crowned kinglet, Corthylio calendula

Waxwings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Bombycillidae

The waxwings are a group of birds with soft silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feathers. In the Bohemian and cedar waxwings, these tips look like sealing wax and give the group its name. These are arboreal birds of northern forests. They live on insects in summer and berries in winter.

• Cedar waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum

Gnatcatchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Polioptilidae

The family Polioptilidae is a group of small insectivorous passerine birds containing the gnatcatchers and gnatwrens.

• Blue-gray gnatcatcher, Polioptila caerulea

Wrens

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Troglodytidae

Wrens are small and inconspicuous birds, except for their loud songs. They have short wings and thin down-turned bills. Several species often hold their tails upright. All are insectivorous.

• Carolina wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus
• House wren, Troglodytes aedon

Mockingbirds and thrashers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Mimidae

The mimids are a family of passerine birds which includes thrashers, mockingbirds, tremblers, and the New World catbirds. They are notable for their vocalization, especially their remarkable ability to mimic a wide variety of birds and other sounds heard outdoors. The species tend towards dull grays and browns in their appearance.

• Gray catbird, Dumetella carolinensis
• Brown thrasher, Toxostoma rufum
• Bahama mockingbird, Mimus gundlachii (A)
• Northern mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos

Starlings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae

Starlings are small to medium-sized passerines with strong feet. Their flight is strong and direct and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is open country, and they eat insects and fruit. Their plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen.

• European starling, Sturnus vulgaris (I)
• Common myna, Acridotheres tristis (I)

Thrushes and allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae

The thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly but not exclusively in the Old World. They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs.

• Veery, Catharus fuscescens
• Gray-cheeked thrush, Catharus minimus
• Swainson's thrush, Catharus ustulatus
• American robin, Turdus migratorius

Old World sparrows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passeridae

Old World sparrows are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small plump brownish or grayish birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed eaters, but they also consume small insects.

• House sparrow, Passer domesticus (I)

Wagtails and pipits

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Motacillidae

Motacillidae is a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails, longclaws, and pipits. They are slender, ground-feeding insectivores of open country.

• American pipit, Anthus rubescens

Finches, euphonias, and allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae

Finches are seed-eating passerines. They are small to moderately large and have strong, usually conical and sometimes very large, beaks. All have twelve tail feathers and nine primaries. They have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well.

• American goldfinch, Spinus tristis

Longspurs and snow buntings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Calcariidae

The Calcariidae are a group of passerine birds that had traditionally been grouped with the New World sparrows, but differ in a number of respects and are usually found in open grassy areas.

• Lapland longspur, Calcarius lapponicus (A)
• Smith's longspur, Calcarius pictus (A)
• Chestnut-collared longspur, Calcarius ornatus (A)
• Snow bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis (A)

New World sparrows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passerellidae

Until 2017, these species were considered part of the family Emberizidae. Most of the species are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the Old World sparrows which are in the family Passeridae. Many of these have distinctive head patterns.

• Grasshopper sparrow, Ammodramus savannarum
• Savannah sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis

Spindalises

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Spindalidae

The members of this small family, newly recognized in 2017, are native to the Greater Antilles. One species occurs fairly frequently in Florida.

• Western spindalis, Spindalis zena (A)

Troupials and allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Icteridae

The icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colorful, passerines restricted to the New World, including the grackles, New World blackbirds and New World orioles. Most have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange or red.

• Bobolink, Dolichonyx oryzivorus
• Orchard oriole, Icterus spurius
• Baltimore oriole, Icterus galbula
• Red-winged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus
• Brown-headed cowbird, Molothrus ater
• Common grackle, Quiscalus quiscula
• Boat-tailed grackle, Quiscalus major

New World warblers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Parulidae

The wood warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerines restricted to the New World. Most are arboreal, but some are terrestrial. Most members of this family are insectivores.

Cardinals and allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cardinalidae

The cardinals are a family of robust, seed-eating birds with strong bills. They are typically associated with open woodland. The sexes usually have distinct plumages.

• Western tanager, Piranga ludoviciana
• Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis
• Indigo bunting, Passerina cyanea
• Painted bunting, Passerina ciris
• Dickcissel, Spiza americana

See also

• List of birds of Florida
• List of birds of Everglades National Park
• List of North American birds