Experience the Best Birding in the Everglades!

Introduction

The Everglades in Florida is a true birding paradise, especially if you are a beginner birder or just appreciate watching birds. This article will tell you all you need to know to enjoy birding in the Everglades, even if you are not an experienced birder. It also shows what I was able to do even taking account my walking disability. (I use hiking poles due to my MS)

Trees, picnic table and flooded grass we encountered while birding in the Everglades. We had to skip this pond.

Disclosure: This post might contain affiliate links. If you buy through one of these links, it will not cost you anything extra, but we might get a small commission. Thank you for supporting us. To learn more, please read our full affiliate disclaimer page.

What are the Everglades?

Everglades National Park is an American national park and the largest tropical wilderness in the United States. Everglades, after Death Valley and Yellowstone is the third-largest national park in the contiguous United States. 1976, UNESCO declared the Everglades & Dry Tortugas an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. (Just like Sian Ka’an). A few years later, in 1979, UNESCO listed the park as a World Heritage Site.

Roseate spoonbills in a tree while birding in the Everglades
Roseate spoonbills

The Everglades are a network of wetlands and forests fed by a river flowing out of Lake Okeechobee into Florida Bay. The park is the most significant breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America and contains the largest mangrove ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere. You can find panthers, alligators, crocodiles, manatees and 350 species of birds. So it is an excellent place to go birding!

Alligator on the grass, it shows just the head. We encountered this creature while birding in the Everglades. Looking very fearsome.
You can see alligators up close
TripAdvisor


Anhinga Trail (wheel chair accesible)

When we arrived to go birding in the Everglades, it was late in the afternoon, so we knew we couldn’t spend much time that day. First we made a quick stop at the Ernest F. Coe visitor center for some basic information. Then we quickly drove to the Anhinga Trail. It is only 0.8 miles (1200 m) long and partly on boardwalks. The trail winds through a sawgrass marsh. Excellent for easy birding. This trail is wheelchair accessible.

It is located next to the Gumbo Limbo trail which also is wheelchair accessible, so both trails are great for people with walking disabilities or families with children in strollers.

Water lilies and shore vegetation on the Ahinga trail. Beautiful place to go birding in the Everglades!

Even better was that there were some experienced birders who helped us identify species that we did not know.

Where is the Anhinga trail?

You can find the trail at the Royal Palm Visitor Center, four miles (6 km) from the main park entrance in Homestead/ Ernest F Coe Visitor Center.

Birding in the Everglades: ahinga in the mangroves at the anhinga trail.
Anhinga at the anhinga trail

Which Birds will we see?

The first thing we saw actually was not a bird, but one of the many alligators. What a treat to see them up close like this!

Water lilies with alligator hidden in them, seen while birding in the Everglades.
Alligator at the Anhinga Trail

Cormorants

After the excitement of seeing our first alligator, we noticed two double-crested cormorants sitting on the railing. They were not at all bothered by the visitors walking past them, but just sat and relaxed while people admired them and took many pictures.

Birding for beginners in the Everglades. Very easy to spot these two double-crested cormorants on the railing right next to the trail. You can see water in the background.
Double-crested cormorants on a railing

Cormorants are diving birds, mostly eat fish, small eels and even water snakes. Because their frequent dives, usually it is hard to get a picture of them on the water, so we welcomed these nice easy targets. When cormorants are on land, you often can see them with their wings spread, to dry them out.

Anhingas

I have to admit that I never had heard of anhingas till we found the anhinga trail. We were lucky enough to witness some of them during our hike. Anhingas remind me of cormorants, but their neck is longer.

An ahinga drying its wings while birding in the Everglades.
Our first anhinga

They dry their wings in a similar fashion to the cormorants. An anhinga is sometimes called a “snake bird” for its long snakelike neck as it slithers through the water. In addition to the males we saw, we observed a female, easy to distinguish from males.

Female anhinga when birding in the Everglades. Her coloring is very different from the male.
Female anhinga

Gallinules

While growing up in the Netherlands, we saw tons of American coots, which are “boring” black and white. Surprisingly enough we discovered their groovy cousins in the Everglades, purple gallinules. What an interesting and colorful adaptation!

 Purple Gallinule. Beautiful colorful bird we encountered while birding in the Everglades.
A purple gallinule

Not only did we see this mature one, but we also had the pleasure of seeing a juvenile. It was fascinating to watch them walk on top of the water lilies with their big feet, looking for food. They sure have a better sense of balance than I do.

A juvenile purple gallinule, walking over water lily leaves. 
This was when birding in the Everglades at the ahinga trail.
Juvenile purple gallinule

Flamingo Visitor Center

The next day, we had a full day of birding planned in the Everglades and we saw many amazing birds and other animals. We started at the Flamingo Visitor Center.

This visitor center is wheelchair accessible by a steep ramp although the center was closed when we visited, so I don’t know about the inside.

Great egret in the steppes. We saw many of them when we were birding in the Everglades.
Great egret on our way to Flamingo

Where is the Flamingo Visitor Center?

The Flamingo Visitor Center is 38 miles from the Homestead entry, past the Coe Visitor Center. It is a beautiful drive through marshlands and we saw many egrets, herons, and vultures while driving. This visitor center is as far south as you can drive in the park. Sadly, it had been closed since Irma caused major damage in September 2017 but the marina was still open.

At the Marina, the Marina store is open and you can buy simple food there and sign up for boat tours, either back country or the Florida Bay. In addition, you can rent kayaks, but I have to admit I wasn’t keen on the idea of kayaking with the crocodiles. We saw crocodiles up close in Costa Rica and I have a healthy respect for them.

Which Birds could we see?

American White Pelicans

Six white pelicans flying in squadron. One of the many bird species we saw when birding in the Everglades, this is close to the Flamingo Visitor Center
A squadron of white pelicans

Our visit started off with a birding bang while we were driving around getting our bearings. Suddenly, we saw a lot of huge birds soar, in squadron formation, but we could not figure out what they were. At first they reminded us of snow geese, but it did not seem quite right.

A squadron of white pelicans swimming in the water. Great egret visible in the back ground in vegetation on shore.
White Pelicans

We tried to follow them to their landing place, and after some mindless back and forth driving we found Eco Pond where they were hanging out. Once we saw them on the water it was very clear that they must be American white pelicans. Hundreds of them coming and going. Wow!

Great Egrets

On our way to the visitor center, we saw a bunch of great egrets and there were more of them here, at the same pond as the white pelicans. You can see one in the background of the pelican picture at Eco Pond. Here is a picture of them up close.

Two great egrets hunting for food at the shore of Eco Pond in the Everglades.
Great egrets

Wood Stork

While we were still blown over by the awesomeness of these white pelicans, we noticed another wading bird on the shore. That one turned out to be a wood stork, another new bird species to me, so that was a bonus on top of the white pelicans. I could not figure out what it was while we were there, but the picture I took was good enough to identify it as a wood stork in hindsight, when we were back home.

Wood stork hunting on the shore of Eco Pond. One of our new birds during our birding in the Everglades.
Wood Stork

Beginner birding hint, or maybe all birders: look into the Merlin application which helps you identify birds if you have a picture of them or even if you do not have a picture.

Ospreys

Regretfully we had to leave Eco Pond and our new bird friends to continue our birding in the Everglades, in this case the Marina at Flamingo visitor center. It didn’t take long before we spotted this osprey nest, right next to the marina building and enjoyed a good look at this white bellied raptor.

Osprey sitting on their nest, right next to the marina.
Osprey

We appreciated the ease of seeing this nesting bird, it makes birding a lot easier when the bird is right there. Later, we saw more of them when we took our boat tour. But first: a crocodile right in the harbor!

A crocodile barely visible in the water next to a slip and the motors from a boat.
Smile at this crocodile!

This crocodile wasn’t the only amazing animal we noticed. In addition to the crocodile there were two manatees swimming around. I had never seen them in the wild, so I treasured their show, although I have to admit I would have loved them to stay visible long enough to get a good picture.

Manatee in the water.
Manatee

When we found out that we could take a boat tour, it did not take long for us to decide to go for it. Carpe diem! They had two tours available, one into the Florida Bay, the other one into the mangrove estuary. Because the Florida Bay departed first, we chose that one, but I would love to do the other one at another time.

Brown Pelicans

We quickly spotted another ubiquitous water bird, the brown pelican. This was the first one we spotted, but we saw many more throughout our day.

Brown pelican in the mangroves, holding their beak against their body.
Brown Pelican

While we were heading out of the marina, we saw many birds, including some more white pelicans, cormorants and gulls. This picture clearly shows how big the white pelicans are compared to the cormorants.

Birds in Florida Bay in foreground, some keys (islands) in the background.
Florida Bay

Blue Heron White Morph

Surprisingly, our guide pointed out this white bird which I had pegged as a great egret. It was in fact a great blue heron, white morph, which can be distinguished from the great egret by the color of its legs. The great egret ones has black ones, while the blue heron white mold’s are grey in color. Very interesting and new tidbit of birding knowledge!

Blue heron white morph in a mangrove forest.
Blue heron white morph

Dolphins

As if the day was not fabulous already, we found a pod of dolphins which had fun popping up around the boat and giving us a show. I always love seeing dolphins, we also saw them in another biosphere reserve, Sian Ka’an in Mexico.

Dolphin fin sticking out of the water. An unexpected find wihen birding in the Everglades
Dolphin!

On the boat ride back we saw more water birds, herons and ospreys, but mostly we simply enjoyed being on the water, away from our New Hampshire snow.

Mrazek Pond

Heading back to the park, we were driving along till we saw a pull-off at Mrazek Pond with many people pulled over, taking pictures. Given the fact there was an abundance of birds to be seen in the trees and the water, we jumped out and started taking pictures too. While we were happily birding with our cameras and binoculars to our eyes, we ignored the ground right in front of us. Until someone pointed out: “Don’t miss the alligator.” As in the alligator which was patiently waiting right in front of us to take advantage of foolish birders…

When I told this story to our friend who grew up in Florida, he claimed “Oh, if you had bumped into him, he would just have gotten up and moved away.” but I have no desire to ever test his theory.

Which Birds?

Alligator "hiding" in the grass, right next to the water at Mrazek Pond.
Be careful when you go birding in the Everglades!
We almost tripped over this alligator

So my Public Service Announcement for birders in the Everglades: “Look out of alligators before you look for birds!” That said, there were tons of birds to be seen here also.

Grass and water in the foreground, mangroves with many white wading birds (egrets/ herons) in the background.
Herons at Mrazek Pond

Roseate Spoonbill

At Mrazek Pond we were happy to observe roseate spoonbills since these are such flamboyant birds. When we were planning our birding trip to the Everglades, I had hoped to see flamingos. Since we did not see any of them, these spoonbills were a satisfying substitute.

Roseated spoonbill hunting for fish in shallow water in front of mangroves
Roseate Spoonbill

Green heron

While we were watching all the white and roseate birds, we noticed another heron, which turned out to be a green heron. (Thank you, Merlin, for help with that identification)

Green heron! One of the many birds in the Everglades. Meet birds, avoid people!

Paurotis Pond

Another good place to stop is Paurotis Pond. It is just a parking lot and a pond, no hiking needed to watch some fun birds there.

Paurotis Pond, looking out over the peaceful water with a bush in the foreground.

Black Vultures

Surprisingly, here we found some black vultures just hanging out in the parking lot. I don’t think I have ever been this close to vultures. Actually, it was the firs him, he would just have gotten up and moved away.t time I saw a black vulture that I easily could identify. Usually they fly up too high to make out the head color distinguishing them from the turkey vulture.

Black turkeys hanging out at Paurotis Pond. A surprising and easy birding find in the Everglades
Black vultures

As a bonus, there is a roseate spoonbills colony across the water. It wasn’t easy to see them that far away, but it was still a pleasure to watch them fly on and off.

A bowl of roseate spoonbils
Roseate Spoonbills colony

Turkey Vultures

It was a lot easier to get a picture of the turkey vulture in a nearby tree. Super cool to see both black vultures and turkey vultures so up close. Notice the red head color on the turkey vulture.

Turkey vulture in a tree at Paurotis Pond. Notice the red head. Birding find in the Everglades
TripAdvisor


Conclusion about Birding in The Everglades

Sunset over roadway and tree, after we finished our day birding in the Everglades
Sunset when leaving the Everglades

There are many birds to watch in the Everglades, even without having to hike a lot or to get up early. Some of the hiking trails are wheelchair accessible. This article is not an extensive review of each location and each birding possibility, but it should give you a good idea of the natural richness in the Everglades and its accessibility. Go and find out for yourself, but be careful for alligators and crocodiles!

Have you been to the Everglades? Did you see many birds? Any good alligator encounters? What was your favorite trail / experience?

Other UNESCO World Heritage Sites To Visit

World Heritage Sites in the Americas

World Heritage Sites in Europe

Where to Stay when you visit the Everglades

Further Reading

TripAdvisor


Birding Around The World

Pin Everglades Birding Guide

Pin this article for later reference and to share with your friends.

The Everglades is a UNESCO biosphere reserve AND a World Heritage Site. A wonderful destination to go birding when you travel to Florida. Drive through this tropical wilderness and meet new birds. This is one of the top things to do in Florida. Take a cruise on Florida Bay, see alligators up close, and watch roseate spoonbills in the mangroves. Discover dolphins and hike the Ahinga Trail. Do NOT miss out, click and read more!  #Florida #travel #UNESCO #nationalparks #bucketlist #OurCarpeDiem
Everglades Birding Guide

Posted

in

, , , ,

by

Comments

30 responses to “Experience the Best Birding in the Everglades!”

  1. Andrew Comte Avatar

    While most may think just alligators in regards to Everglades, myself included, this was a superb job of highlighting all of the great birds that can be sighted here. Would love to visit.

    1. Karen Lanzetta Avatar

      Thank you, Andrew. I was the same as you, had no idea what to expect apart from those alligators. Hope you will get to visit some day!

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

  2. Mardrey Swenson Avatar
    Mardrey Swenson

    Thanks for this great bird – and Alligator show!! Very nice to see so many! By the way we have Green herons right here in VT/NH.I’ve seen them while out kayaking!!

    1. Karen Lanzetta Avatar

      Very welcome! Cool @ seeing green herons around here. Tom says it makes sense, since it is the green mountain state ๐Ÿ˜€ ๐Ÿ˜€

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

  3. myenchantingfloridalife Avatar

    I LOVE this post and all your photos! I live in NE Florida in St. Augustine. I take bird photos a lot and love to share them. Itโ€™s amazinf how many birds we see in Fl. I definitely plan to pin this post because someday I want to come down to south Florida for vacation and explore. Thanks so much!

    1. Karen Lanzetta Avatar

      Thank you! Looks like you have your share of amazing nature in your neck of the woods too. Hope you will get to visit the Everglades and see tons of birds and other wildlife.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

  4. carlanatali Avatar

    I had no idea you could see so many different birds at the Everglades! Are the pictures yours? They look amazing!

    1. Karen Lanzetta Avatar

      Thank you, Carla. Yup, the pictures are all mine or my husband’s, that’s why the manatee and dolphin pictures are not National Geographic level, but just an illustration of what we could see right there ๐Ÿ™‚

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

  5. […] loudly, three Canada geese fly past. A red squirrel checks us out. Still, nothing happens. Unlike watching birds in the Everglades, where we almost tripped over an alligator, now that would have been […]

  6. Janell Avatar

    The Everglades are truly amazing and a favorite of mine, especially in the winter season. The Anhinga Trail and Shark Valley Observation Tower are my favorite land destinations to view birds. Great post!

    1. Karen Lanzetta Avatar

      We will have to check out the shark valley observation tower, we had only one day to explore which clearly isn’t enough. I wish we lived closer!

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

  7. Marjie Mare Avatar

    Your pictures are breathtaking and will make my day. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful post.

    1. Karen Lanzetta Avatar

      Thank you, Marjie! I hope you will get to visit the Everglades some day and see these wonderful birds.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

  8. Under Flowery Sky Avatar

    So wonderful, once I went to ornitology course.
    And these pink birds on the second picture are
    so special..

    1. Karen Lanzetta Avatar

      Thank you! Yes, these pink birds are amazingly beautiful.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

  9. Lisa Alioto Avatar
    Lisa Alioto

    Love the wildlife pics you’ve captured – this is definitely on my bucket list. It’s not too far from me.. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Karen Lanzetta Avatar

      I hope you get to visit some day ! It is such an amazing place.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting

  10. […] you might have noticed, I love birding, so I am always excited to see new birds. Heck, I am excited about seeing any birds, even if I have seen them over and over. One of my […]

  11. […] place where we have seen these cool creatures was at Everglades National Park, one of our national birding […]

  12. […] The Everglades: We didn’t snorkel, but we did see dolphins and tons of birds. Even almost tripped over an alligator! […]

  13. […] 2021 Update: after a summer break, when the pandemic flattened its curve, we are back to scary and worrisome numbers. So yes, we are still birding locally, even if we’d rather be birding in the Everglades. […]

  14. […] Everglades & Dry Tortugas.  This reserve also includes Fort Jefferson National Monument, which consists of a group of seven coral reefs called the Dry Tortugas National Park. In addition, the reserve contains some 200 known archaeological sites. Lots of historic Native American use for settlement, farming and fishing activities. […]

  15. […] moved to America, I always imagined National Parks would be big and imposing and mostly imagined The Everglades, Glacier Bay and Yosemite. But it turns out there are many more NPS sites, not only the big ones. […]

  16. […] one of the best ways to socially distance. Consider exploring Costa Rica or stay within the USA by birding in the Everglades or […]

  17. […] The Everglades: both an UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve; […]

  18. […] go Watch Whales in Quebec City or Birding in the Everglades. Heck, you could even Bungee Jump off the Space […]

  19. […] The Everglades: both an UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve; […]

  20. […] we even started traveling farther away again. Just returned from a trip to Florida and planning to visit my family in The Netherlands this upcoming […]

  21. […] Never Smile at a Crocodile! Beginner’s guide to Birding in the Everglades; […]