Status and trends of American Flamingos (<i>Phoenicopterus ruber</i>) in Florida, USA

Whitfield, Steven M.; Frezza, Peter E.; Ridgley, Frank; Mauro, Anne; Patterson, Judd M.; Pernas, Antonio; Lorenz, Jerome J.

doi:10.1650/condor-17-187.1

Cited by 6 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…The value obtained for the Galapagos Islands was set as a reference to identify the most critical potential breeding countries for the American Flamingo. The population of American Flamingo in the Galapagos Islands is a small reproductive population of 500 individuals [ 11 ], but an important breeding site for the species due to its isolation [ 11 ] from the rest of the Pan-Caribbean population (as defined by [ 20 ]).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous literature recognized six countries with important breeding sites for the American Flamingo: Mexico (Yucatan Peninsula), Bonaire, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bahamas, and Cuba [5,11]. Whitfield et al [20] omitted Ecuador because they considered only the "Pan-Caribbean population". Using recent eBird data (2010-2018) for the breeding season, and setting the Galapagos as the reference point, we identified nine countries that are potentially important breeding areas for the species.…”

Section: American Flamingo Breeding Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the Galapagos population was identified as genetically isolated [ 11 ], the population structure of the American Flamingo on the east side of the continent is unclear and subject to debate [ 2 , 11 ]. More recently, several reports indicated the movement of flamingos toward the United States, colonizing areas in Florida [ 13 ], Texas, and Louisiana [ 2 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The literature on the American Flamingo tends to consider local populations only (e.g., [ 1 , 13 ]), preventing a broader understanding of the movements between different foraging and/or breeding sites. A global perspective is, therefore, necessary to identify important sites for this species, especially since very little information is available for some localities, such as Guyana and Brazil [ 14 , 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, the eBird project not only increases the quantity of data available but controls for its quality [ 17 ]. It is, therefore, an excellent source for many uses (e.g., species distribution, migration, conservation [ 13 , 17 , 18 ]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of the American Flamingo distribution, trends, and important breeding areas

et al. 2020

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The American Flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber, is a charismatic bird distributed throughout the Caribbean, North and South America. Its wide distribution, the complexity of international monitoring due to its capacity for long-distance flying, and a focus mostly on local populations, make it difficult to understand the dynamics between sites. Here, we took advantage of the citizen eBird science project to present a global perspective on the distribution of the American Flamingo, and identify the potentially most important countries for breeding. We obtained 16,930 records for the Americas from the 1960s until October 2018, of which 9,283 could be used for our objectives. The eBird database indicated a considerable increase in the total number of records over the last decade (2010s), probably reflecting an increase in tourism facilities, research investment, technological advancement, interest in conservation, and the worldwide availability of eBird. We also observed a range extension in the Gulf of Mexico in the United States and a significant recolonization in the Florida Peninsula. The apparent range extension to the South is more likely to be linked to biases in the data; for example, in any given country the number of records might reflect either reporting efforts or actual numbers. eBird data confirmed that six countries host the main breeding colonies (Bahamas, Bonaire, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, and Venezuela). We suggest three additional countries as potential breeding areas for the species (Colombia, Curaçao, Turks and Caicos Islands) for which more field observations are necessary to support this possibility. This global appraisal of the distribution of the American Flamingo using citizen science data provides valuable information for national and international management and conservation programs such as the need to verify the species breeding status in areas where it appears to be expanding its distribution.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%