Blog Number 3; 5/7/2021; America's Aviary

 Video

                If the Everglades is abundant in one animal, it is birds. It has without a doubt the most diverse bird population in the continental US. Since Florida is subtropical, it is where the birds of the north, like eagles, meet the birds of the south, like frigates. This makes the bird population a mix between central and Northern East coast birds and island and Amazonian birds. Birds are found in almost every ecosystem in Florida, from the owls of the Cyprus swamps to the skimmers of the coast. This provides us with a constant animal to judge the health of multiple ecosystems with.

               

Out of all the birds residing in Florida, one always stands out amongst the crowd, the brown pelican. It is an evolutionary masterpiece. Every part of its body is designed for diving for prey. Despite the birds being globally threatened, it has a very strong population in Florida, making it a common sight to beachgoers. This is why this population must always be monitored for its health, for it is the one thing saving the brown pelican from joining its neighbors from the endangered species list. The three major causes of the pelican’s decline are fishermen and fisherwomen, chemicals, and development. Pelicans can often be seen hanging around fisherman. They are fairly friendly, often getting physically close to fishermen. This can cause the hook of the fishing rod to get stuck in the pelican’s beak or wings. This usually causes the person to cut the fishing line. However, this is a death sentence for pelicans. The hook may cause them trouble hunting, which makes them easy prey to coyotes and gators. If a hook does get stuck within the pelican’s bill, the fishing line should be reeled in, cut the barb of the hook with wire cutting, and gently remove the hook. The chemicals of certain insecticides can cause thin egg shells and underdeveloped embryos to form. Even is the insecticide is used outside of the everglades, it can spread like wildfire to the glades. A pelican only lays one set of eggs per year, if they get to make. This means if the eggs die, they have to wait another year to get a second chance. Lastly, development of coastal mangrove habitats destroys the pelican’s breeding grounds. Pelicans nest on the mangroves, but if a lack of space occurs, they will nest on the ground. This makes easy prey for opossums and raccoons.

               

My personal favorite bird of Florida is the sandhill crane. It is large, ancient, and majestic. Sandhill cranes have been living in Florida and the surrounding area for at least 2.7 million years, according to fossil records. Two types of crane are found in Florida, the Florida sandhill crane and the greater sandhill crane. Both cranes reside in the glades, with Florida cranes being here year-round and greater cranes migrating down here for the winter months (November-April). Greater cranes are the larger of the two, with an average of five feet tall. Florida cranes on average are three to four feet. Cranes breed in prairies, marshes, and pastures. Both the monogamous male and female perform an elaborate dance to keep the relationship going. They then make their nests on small mounds, hence the name “sandhill”. With urban development, the crane has had to adapt to make nests upon golf courses. On the course, cranes are often killed by golf balls hitting them. This death is not natural selection, it is sheer luck. This can cause the healthiest cranes to perish, which it the opposite of what needs to happen for a species’ survival. Once losing a mate, it can take multiple years for the widowed crane to find another partner.

               

Osprey are the master of the ocean skies. Like the pelican, they are perfectly adapted for hunting fish. The osprey is a close relative of the bald eagle, making it commonly misidentified as one. The osprey almost exclusively hunt fish. It has keen eyesight, able to see a ten-inch mullet from one hundred feet in the air. They then divebomb the fish, grabbing it in their talons, and fly back to eat the fish. The fish is always caught facing the same direction of the osprey, providing less wind resistance. Their prey commonly on saltwater catfish, mullet, and trout. However, if none of those are in the area, they can go after larger prey like tuna. Osprey are not strong enough to carry tuna. One an osprey catches a large fish, it is unable to let go, causing the bird to drown. This is a side effect of a lack of prey in the area, which means on of two possibilities. Either the fish’s food source is unavailable, or a large predator is overkilling them, such as people or an invasive species. The mercury infecting Florida’s waters are also affecting the osprey. It is a simple matter of the food chain. Fish gets mercury from water, osprey eats fish and dies, coyote eats osprey and dies, and vulture eats coyote and dies. The mercury within certain waterways can affect the entire ecosystem of that area.

                I have three bird books that contain these three birds. For each book, I read the bird’s entrée, as well as the entrees of birds they coexist with, and the prey they eat (for those I had to go to two fish books). This way I learn all about the interactions between the bird and its ecosystem. I also filmed myself reading two of the bird books for the project (that is the link atop this page). I was reading two books on Florida birds there, and off camera I read one on birds of North America, one of freshwater fish, and one of Florida fish. There is just so much to learn! Everything is connected, like the MCU, but real. However, with everything connected, everything has the possibility to effect everything. This is why we must protect all creatures of an ecosystem, no matter our human bias towards them.