Flamingos feeding at Sarasota Jungle Gardens. Photo by Lucy Beebe Tobias
When wild flamingos showed up in South Florida last spring birders of all levels got pretty excited.
And why not! The flamboyant birds with pink feet, long legs and even longer necks plus a body feathered in a brilliant hot orange pink color – oh yes, these birds are definitely photogenic.
And seeing them in the wild would be a nice notch on a birder’s Life List.
A flock of 147 flamingos landed on Water Management lands in western Palm Beach County. This is the largest flock of wild flamingos ever spotted in state history. Their location is being kept secret so people won’t scare them away
But, do not despair; you can see flamingos – just not in the wild.
Getting Familiar with Flamingos
Here are some places to get familiar with these flamboyant birds:
Sarasota Jungle Gardens has a flock of flamingos and they know exactly where the food dispenser is – standing around long necks straight up, wide eyes giving you that look – well, what are you waiting for? Put a quarter in the dispenser and out comes pellets.
Their curved beaks softly scrap you hand. To eat they have to turn their heads and scoop the pellets into their beaks. Then one or two will have a discussion about who should get more food. Lots of hissing going on but that is about it.
Flamingos having a discussion, Photo by Lucy Beebe Tobias
Flamingos do well together. It is startling to see such brilliantly colored birds grouped in one place and they are quite comfortable with humans nearby. No need to bring long camera lenses, the birds will walk right up to you.
Nearby Busch Gardens in Tampa boasts a flock of 250 flamingos with their own team of bird specialists to care for them. See them in the Bird Gardens, Jambo Junction and look for them in the daily Flamingo Parade.
If you are of a certain age (over say 45) you may recall the flock of flamingos at Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg. I certainly do – decades ago my visit here was the first time I’d ever seen a flamingo! While snapping pictures, something caught my eye off to the left – and there, swimming sedately towards the flamingos was a black swan. Never seen one of those either. What a day.
The Sunken Garden flock, originally from Chile, has dwindled to one elderly pair but a Flamingo Fund Forever drive by garden volunteers, and partnered with a non-profit St. Pete Preservation, hopes to bring the number to six, a nice flock size. Older botanical gardens like Sunken Gardens rely on eco tourism and having the flamboyant birds back again would help attract visitors.
A flamingo isn’t cheap, say $7500 each plus all the restrictions on exotic birds even though there is some historic evidence flamingos consider South Florida the very end of their northern reach from South America.
The Future of Flamingos in Florida
But there is a place in Florida where wild flamingos feel at home enough to breed. Here is a surprise – that place is the Hialeah Park Racing & Casino in Hialeah. Flamingos from Cuba were first brought here in 1934. You may have seen them as backdrop for opening the television series “Miami Vice”.
All their flamingos were hatched and raised at the racetrack. That is why the infield was designated a National Audubon Sanctuary.
Of course the only exposure many people have had to flamingos are not the real thing, feathers and all – but the pink plastic icons, a pair of flamingos, one upright, one pecking at the ground, found in backyards (they are too tacky to put in the front yard but admit it –you want one or two anyway. Tacky can be fun.).
Martin Tobias poses with a flamingo in Miami. Photo by Lucy Beebe Tobias
A whole industry called FLOCKING has sprung up around these plastic birds. Churches use this as fundraisers. Party places will also do the deed.
Perhaps it is your birthday, say a big one with a zero on the end. You walk up, open the front door to go outside to get the paper and KA ZAM, a flock of pink flamingos are sticking up all over your yard with a sign saying “YOU’VE BEEN FLOCKED” and maybe a Happy Birthday sign too.
Now you have to find the person who did this . . .
Fortunately they usually disappear in a few days, on to FLOCK somewhere else
Forget the plastic ones. Go for the real deal. Add finding flamingos to your “reasons to get out of the house and go adventuring” list. They are Florida’s feathered icon.
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