PHOTO BY TRAC VU VIA UNSPLASH.COM
A new University of Central Florida-led study argues that American flamingos are native to Florida and that the species (Phoenicopterus ruber) is genetically suitable for restoration in the state. The research adds evidence to a debate that has lingered for decades, that most Florida flamingo sightings were the result of captive birds escaping, rather than a remnant of a historically native population.
According to UCF, researchers used genomic data from flamingos in Florida and across the Caribbean and found that the birds show very small genetic differences across their range. In other words, Florida flamingos appear to be part of the same broader wild population network. The study also found that zoo-managed flamingos are genetically similar enough to wild flamingos that they could be considered as part of restoration planning, if Florida were ever to pursue a formal recovery program.
Flamingos were heavily hunted in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and Florida’s once-common flocks were largely wiped out. The researchers now argue that flamingos are unlikely to re-establish a stable breeding population in Florida without intentional action. UCF’s summary notes that the U.S. has done little direct flamingo conservation work for more than a century, in part because the birds were often not treated as a native species needing restoration. The study points to practical tools used in other restoration contexts, including artificial nest mounds and decoy flamingos to encourage wild birds to settle and breed.
The timing couldn’t be any better either, as Florida lawmakers are actively trying to change the state bird from the Northern Mockingbird to something more Sunshine State-worthy, and the American Flamingo is at the top of the list. The mockingbird is already claimed by four other states.
