Pink flamingos showing up more often in the South Florida wild again

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The pink flamingo has been immortalized in plastic garden ornaments, stylized on logos, and has appeared in iconic scenes on the large and small display screen, just like the opening sequence of Miami Vice.

Most individuals in South Florida often solely see the rose-colored fowl in captivity.

That’s, till not too long ago.

Valerie Preziosi, a conservationist and photographer in Massive Pine Key, snapped images of a lone flamingo wading in pristine water in January. Earlier than that, she stated there have been six flamingos noticed in July of 2020.

Preziosi stated the flock seen two years in the past have been “divided between the salt marshes of Ramrod and Massive Torch Keys,” and provided a uncommon birdwatching expertise for residents and birdwatching fanatics.

In March, a flamingo and a white goose have been seen at a a horse race at Gulfstream park; the flamingo appeared to have been struck by a horse.

A spokesperson for Gulfstream Park stated a couple of flamingos have been noticed within the infield over the past a number of years.

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“There positively have been flamingos in Florida within the 1800s, and sadly folks hunted the populations right here to extinction,” stated Dr. Steven Whitfield, a conservation biologist at ZooMiami.

Whitfield stated American Flamingos have been typically hunted for meals, and their feathers have been plucked for trend.

“Lots of people thought flamingos have been non-native as a result of the historical past was simply so unclear,” Whitfield stated.

So when the birds began making appearances, he and his group of scientists wished to know the place they got here from.

That’s once they took be aware of a trio of flamingos close to Key West in 2015. After a storm chased two of them away, one lone fowl remained. They named it Conchy.

“Conchy confirmed up on the naval air station in Key West. We have been capable of seize Conchy and put a satellite tv for pc transmitter on him,” Whitfield recalled. “We anticipated him to go to Cuba or the Bahamas and to go away Florida fairly rapidly. However he ended up staying round for 2 years.”

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Whitfield says his crew labored with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation fee to re-designate flamingos as “native” in 2018, though FWC informed Native 10 Information the pink birds have been at all times regarded as natives.

May the flamingos be making a comeback within the wild?

“It appears to be like like they’re, and that’s actually encouraging,” Whitfield stated. “It’s such an iconic fowl for Florida. I feel everybody want to see them return it’s only a query of how we try this.”