After Hurricane Idalia in August 2023, a flock of 300-400 flamingos was displaced from its migratory route between the Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba and ended up across the eastern United States, including Florida. According to Audubon Florida, more than 300 credible flamingo sightings were reported across the region following the storm.
Dr. Jerome Lorenz, an estuarine scientist with Audubon Florida, has spent decades studying American flamingos and other wading birds in Florida Bay and Everglades National Park. Lorenz described how one flamingo, rescued in Tampa and named Peaches, was fitted with a GPS tracker and banded before being released. The device failed shortly after release, but Peaches was later photographed nesting at the Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve in Mexico.
Lorenz explained that flamingos were once common in Florida, as documented by ornithologist Robert Porter Allen in his 1956 book “The Flamingos: Their Life History and Survival.” The population declined sharply in the late 1800s due to demand for feathers used in women’s fashion. Despite new laws prohibiting hunting, enforcement was difficult. “Led by the National Association of Audubon Societies’ vocal opposition, the grassroots environmental movement that followed brought about laws prohibiting the hunting and sale of bird feathers. But enforcement of those laws in sparsely populated Florida was difficult, and on two occasions deputized Audubon wardens were murdered protecting wading bird nesting colonies.”
The passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918 ended the feather trade. Most wading bird species recovered their populations by the 1930s and 1940s, but flamingos did not. By 1956, their numbers had dropped to about 25% of historical levels.
Flamingos have unique breeding habits compared to other wading birds. They nest only once a year at large colonies and lay one egg per season. This slow reproductive rate contributed to their struggle to recover.
For much of the twentieth century, scientists thought any flamingos seen in Florida were escapees from captivity. However, Lorenz noted that “my opinion began to change in 2002, when a flamingo that was banded as a chick at Rio Lagartos was photographed in Florida Bay.” Further evidence emerged when another banded bird from Rio Lagartos appeared in 2012.
In 2015, researchers placed a tracking device on another flamingo captured at Key West Naval Air Station. Nicknamed Conchy, it lived for two years in Florida Bay. Lorenz said this demonstrated “that it was possible for flamingos to make a more permanent home in Florida.”
A 2018 paper by Lorenz and colleagues presented historical and new data indicating that wild flamingo numbers might be increasing in Florida.
After Hurricane Idalia, an online survey by Audubon Florida received over 50 reputable observations of flamingos remaining in the state. In July 2025, a flock of 125 flamingos was photographed in Florida Bay. Lorenz and his colleagues believe these birds may be reestablishing a presence in the state.
According to Lorenz, restoration efforts are likely contributing to this change. “To me, the answer is clear: Efforts to restore the Everglades and Florida’s coastal ecosystems are beginning to show progress.” He described how ecological collapse had occurred by the late twentieth century due to water management practices. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan was enacted by Congress in 2000 as a major response.
Recent years have seen significant improvements. “In 2018 and 2021, more than 100,000 pairs of wading birds such as white ibis, wood storks and roseate spoonbills nested in the Everglades. These numbers hadn’t been seen since the 1940s. In the 1980s and 1990s, 20,000 nesting pairs was thought to be a banner year.”
While full restoration is not yet achieved, Lorenz said: “I believe that the return of flamingos such as Conchy and Peaches is evidence that these efforts are on the right track.”
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
