Brilliant Pink Flamingo Hanging with White Pelicans in Ten Thousand Islands

When you say pink bird – what comes to mind? The iconic American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) is instantly recognized by its pinkish-orange coloration, appearing strongest in its tail, chest, neck and head feathers. Standing three to give feet tall, it looks very graceful with its distinctive long stilt-like legs and curved “S” shaped long neck. 

On Tuesday, January 11, 2022 news broke out of a rare sighting of a wild flamingo in the Ten Thousand Islands! Birders and the conservation community were pink with envy! A Florida tour boat captain took a photograph of a lone flamingo just hanging out with a flock of White Pelicans. 

I reached out to Keith Laakkonen, Program Administrator for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, because he is an avid birder and the flamingo was found in our Estuary.

According to Keith, there have been other sightings of flamingos in Collier County, but as far as he is aware, this is the first picture of a flamingo in Collier County that was recorded on eBird.org. Getting that documentation into eBird, which is a scientific database also used by birders, was very important.

The Collier County flamingo was alone looking brilliantly pink and according to Keith, “if that bird was on its own, it would have been just beautiful, but in front of all those white pelicans – that was an epic view. You could not ask for a better backdrop for wildlife. The flamingo was acting naturally while the pelicans were walking around. It was the pinkish and the most vibrant of any of the flamingos I have ever seen.”

Keith noted “I won the birding lottery that day! It was amazing and for it to be in the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve made it so much more special.”

Keith’s first encounter with a wild flamingo was in West Palm Beach many years ago and this was a flock of eight birds. Keith compares his experience to seeing a mythic bird.

Keith’s second encounter was in Estero Bay in 2016. He got a call about a pink bird. When he came around the corner, he said, “That’s a flamingo – once you’ve seen a flamingo in the wild, you won’t confuse it with a Roseate Spoonbill ever again.”

I also reached out to Dr. Jerry Lorenz, the State Director of Research for Audubon Florida Everglades Science Center and he considers the Collier County flamingo sighting as a “really wonderful recovery story. They are finally making a return to their home range in Florida and Collier County, historically. In the late 1800s, this was a place where you would see flamingos, but they were hunted down for their feathers and for meat. Hopefully, someday we will start seeing them more frequently and might even have a resident population in Collier County.”

Lorenz said this is a “good sign” and that the flamingo probably found a place it likes, the food it needs and the habitat it wants to be in.

Flamingos can be found throughout Florida, according to Lorenz, and a population can also be found in Florida Bay and the Everglades National Park. In the Everglades, they feed on small invertebrates, crustaceans, possibly small fish, and as filter feeders, they scoop up the mud and water and filter it with their bill and tongue. Lorenz added that their varied diet makes wild flamingos more brilliant than their captive cousins.

Are flamingo’s native to Florida?Few of us have ever seen a flamingo in the wild and for a very long time, the conventional scientific wisdom and those at the state, was that those “wild flamingos” were escapees or occasional visitors from Cuba, Mexico or the Bahamas. The state had always classified the Flamingos as non-native species of Florida.

In February, 2018, Dr. Lorenz was a member of the team of scientists and researchers who published a landmark study to correct the record on flamingos in Florida. They wanted to “resolve the long-standing controversy over the status and origin of Florida’s flamingos” and that they are making a comeback and need to be respected.”

It’s official: According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) website, the American Flamingo is now listed as a native species. With state recognition, it offers the possibility of more habitat protection. The American Flamingo is also protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

As a scientist, Lorenz is optimistic saying, “as you continue to improve the health of the Everglades, you will have more and more wading birds coming back. People want to see flamingos in the wild – it is a very valuable resource.”

For Keith Laakkonen, as a birder, “the possibility that we might see more flamingos in the wild is exciting. He believes that wildlife belongs to all of us and we need to work together to respect and conserve it.