More than 350 different bird species live in the Everglades. Here's what you need to know about birds of the everglades.
Where are the Everglades?
The Everglades are a vast area of marsh-like and swamp land that is in the Southern-most part of the country, in the southern tip of Florida. The everglades are known for a wide variety of animal species, including alligators and birds of the everglades that are not found in any other parts of the country.
Migratory birds
Most of the birds of the everglades that you'll run into are migratory land birds. In fact, more than 200 of the 350 species of birds of the everglades come and go according to the seasons. Not all of these migratory birds are like midwestern vacationers. They don't always fly down in the winter and come back in the summer. It really depends on their migratory and mating seasons. Some migratory birds of the everglades include certain species of woodpeckers, meadowlarks, cardinals and blue jays.
Wading birds of the everglades
One of the largest birds of the everglades populations is wading birds. Wading birds generally have really long, thin legs so they can stand in the water where they hang out and wade. They use their long legs to balance on as they stare into the water looking for prey. A common wading birds that you may have seen is the flamingo. Wading birds of the everglades do not usually include the flamingo, but wading birds of the everglades have a similar body design to the flamingo.
Some common birds of the everglades that are waders include herons, egrets, ibises and spoonbills. Wading birds of the everglades also have long thin beaks that are used for digging crayfish out of their hiding places and for clamping down on prey. Wading birds of the everglades have sensitive beaks and when they're hanging out in the water, they most their feet around to stir up the earth beneath them. When they do this, it startles the fish beneath them. When the fish swims away it will bump into the bird's beak and the bird will quickly chomp down on it.
Wading birds are birds of the everglades that are in danger. Many of the birds have quit nesting because they don't have proper nesting area. Some experts would say that roughly 90 percent of the wading birds of the everglades population has disappeared.
