Pictures: American Flamingos in Florida

American Flamingos are back in the Sunshine State – and even in Central Florida.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission considers American Flamingos to be a native species for Florida, even though it says they disappeared from the state around the turn of the century due to hunting and habitat loss in the Everglads. “After about 1925, people started captive colonies of flamingos in South Florida, including a breeding colony at Hialeah Park Race Track in the 1930s, which still remains,” the FWC says.

Thanks to Hurricane Idalia, a group of flamingos were blown back into the state in the fall of 2023 – this included four that showed up in the Indian River in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in December of that year. While flamingos had been reported there before – include a single flamingo that hung around for part of 2018 – this is the first time in decades that a large number of the birds is residing in the area.

Their number reached 32 in April 2025 – but by the end of the month only 14 were seen on a consistent basis near the Haulover Canal kayak launch.