American Flamingos are among the most iconic bird species of Florida, yet their status in the state has been unclear for more than a century. For most of the 20th century, flamingos were extremely rare in Florida, and were largely considered to be non-native species by biologists and wildlife managers. Yet through the 19th century, large flocks of American Flamingos were noted by naturalists visiting South Florida. Yet by the start of the 20th century, the flamingos had disappeared, the victims of unregulated hunting for food and for the emerging plume trade. Dr. Whitfield’s research has focused on clarifying the history and status of flamingos in Florida, and increasingly focused on understanding requirements for population recovery of the species. In the fall of 2023, a large influx of flamingos appeared in Florida, and across the eastern United States. Dr. Whitfield will clarify the history of the species in Florida, address cutting-edge science by conservation scientists to identify the origins of the birds, and highlight efforts to help this species recover in Florida’s natural areas.

About the Presenter:

Dr. Steven Whitfield is a conservation biologist and the Director of Terrestrial and Wetlands Conservation at the Audubon Nature Institute, where he leads conservation research projects with rare and endangered species. Dr. Whitfield holds a PhD and MS in biology from Florida International University, and has more than 20 years of experience conducting conservation fieldwork in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. His research has included species ranging from amphibians to birds and in environments ranging from tropical rainforests to urban ecosystems in South Florida. Since 2015, Dr. Whitfield has been working to build a scientific basis for the conservation and recovery of Florida’s iconic flamingos, more than a century after the last large flocks of wild birds were devastated by hunting in the late 1800s. Dr. Whitfield is the founder and chair of the Florida Flamingo Working Group.

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