The 124th Christmas Bird Count in Florida

This summary follows the taxonomy (listing order) of the International Ornithological Committee’s IOC World Bird List, version 14.1 (Gill et al. 2024; <www.worldbirdnames.org/new>). Rare species and extremely high numbers are excluded from this summary if details were inadequate or lacking. Bold-faced totals denote high counts since the 102nd CBC season, when BP became Florida CBC Editor.

During the 124th season, 78 Christmas Bird Counts were conducted in Florida, a reduction from this past season’s record of 83. Counts conducted during the 123rd season but not this season were Babcock Ranch, Fort Pierce, Green Swamp, Orange River, and especially at Kissimmee Valley and Lakeland, two long-running CBC circles. Statewide totals for several species were notably negatively affected by the loss of the latter two counts—especially Lakeland. No new counts were begun this season, but the Christmas CBC was resurrected after five years of inactivity. Florida’s 78 CBCs accounted for 9,345 accepted observations of 348 taxonomic forms and 1,275,827 individuals. The taxonomic forms comprised 287 native species or natural vagrants, the reintroduced Whooping Crane (reduced to just a few old individuals—this species will no longer be “countable” on Florida CBCs), all 15 “countable” exotics, 17 “non-countable” exotics, two hybrids (Mallard × Muscovy Duck and Mallard × Mottled Duck), one intergrade (“Wurdemann’s Heron”), one color morph (“Great White Heron”), and 17 forms not identified to species (e.g., Greater Scaup/Lesser Scaup, hummingbird species). Ten additional species were found exclusively during count-week: Common Eider at Dade County (!); Red-throated Loon, Masked Booby, Thick-billed Murre, Razorbill, and Glaucous Gull at Daytona Beach; Black-legged Kittiwake at Stuart; Red-crowned Parrot at Fort Lauderdale; and Hooded Warbler and Black-throated Gray Warbler at Kendall Area.

Accepted, “countable” species totals ranged from 38 at Lower Keys–Key Deer N.W.R. to 174 at Gainesville (inland!). Seven other CBCs exceeded 149 “countable” species: Sarasota (173), Jacksonville (163), North Pinellas (158), West Pasco (154), West Palm Beach (152), and South Brevard County and St. Petersburg (150 each). The total number of individuals varied from 487 at Lower Keys–Key Deer N.W.R. to 62,078 at Coot Bay–Everglades N.P. Only two other CBCs tallied more than 50,000 individuals: Gainesville (57,291) and Cocoa (56,641).

Ten species were found during count-day on all 78 counts: Mourning Dove, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, Belted Kingfisher, American Kestrel, Northern Mockingbird, Palm Warbler, and Northern Cardinal. Four species exceeded 50,000 individuals statewide: Tree Swallow (156,264), White Ibis (67,264), Lesser Scaup (61,384), and Laughing Gull (57,745). In contrast, 15 native species or natural vagrants were each documented on count-day by a single individual: Harlequin Duck at West Palm Beach, Pacific Loon at Pensacola, Great Cormorant and Bullock’s Oriole at Choctawhatchee Bay, Cassin’s Kingbird at Dinner Island Ranch–East Okaloacoochee Slough, Eastern Kingbird at St. Marks, Bell’s Vireo at Long Pine Key, Warbling Vireo and Tennessee Warbler at Kendall Area, Horned Lark at Jackson County, Bank Swallow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Yellow-headed Blackbird at Homestead, Great-tailed Grackle at St. Petersburg, and Purple Finch at Melrose.

Weather negatively affected CBCs conducted during the first weekend of the count period. A tropical storm struck Florida’s Gulf coast early 16 December and traveled north through the peninsula. Nearly all counts conducted on 16–17 December experienced heavy rain and strong winds, in some cases for most of the day. Boat parties were cancelled, and land birders coped with poor visibility and dangerous driving conditions. On the other hand, another weather event positively affected a few Florida CBCs. In late August 2023, Hurricane Idalia formed in the western Caribbean Sea and rapidly intensified. Briefly a Category 4 storm, Idalia smashed into Florida’s Big Bend region early on 30 August as a Category 3 hurricane. Hundreds of American Flamingos that were migrating south from their breeding grounds on the Yucatan Peninsula to their wintering grounds in Cuba got caught up in the storm’s outer bands and were flung counter-clockwise throughout the eastern United States. Most of these flamingos somehow survived (feeding on what?) for many months. Vagrant flamingos were found at Aripeka–Bayport (one), Bradenton (two), Coot Bay–Everglades N.P. (57, most of which probably were storm-related), Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (count-week; inland!), Fort De Soto (count-week), and Merritt Island N.W.R. (four).

The 18,644 Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks on 43 CBCs set the Florida record CBC total, with 9,000 at Gainesville, 1,000 each at Lake City and Sarasota, 750 at Bradenton, 725 at Venice–Englewood, and 700 at Zellwood–Mount Dora. Fulvous Whistling-Ducks numbered 710 individuals, with 630 at Zellwood-Mount Dora, 67 at STA5–Clewiston, and 13 at Lake Placid. Four Snow Geese were at North Pinellas, with two each at Port St. Joe and The Villages–Lake Panasoffkee. A Ross’s Goose brightened Choctawhatchee Bay, and a Greater White-fronted Goose was at Pensacola. Canada Geese, largely or entirely feral, totaled 1,429 on 20 counts, with 500 at Jacksonville, 300 at Tallahassee, 122 at St. Augustine, and 100 at Clay County East. Egyptian Geese numbered 719 individuals on 10 counts, including 200 at West Palm Beach, 195 at Kendall Area, and 120 at Fort Lauderdale. Muscovy Ducks numbered 4,496 individuals on 52 counts, with 830 at Kendall Area, 385 at Tampa, and 330 at Naples. Two American Black Ducks far south at Econlockhatchee were the only CBC report.

We always stress the need to examine Mallards and Mottled Ducks carefully to determine how many of these may be hybrids/backcrosses (Mallard × Mottled Duck) or cannot be identified to species (“Muddled Duck”). The identifications of these ducks is so confusing that for this summary (only), we combine all Mallards, Mottled Ducks, hybrids/backcrosses, and unknowns into a single total, which this season equaled 7,236 individuals. Florida CBCs that report dozens or hundreds of Mottled Ducks and few or no backcrosses or unknowns are likely providing erroneous data. There were 4,898 Redheads on 21 counts and 16 Canvasbacks on five. Lesser Scaup numbered 61,384 individuals, with “only” 12,500 at Cocoa and “only” 3,100 at South Brevard County; Florida CBC totals have exceeded 250,000 individuals in some recent years. Incredibly, West Palm Beach hosted a King Eider—only the sixth record for Florida—a Common Eider (count-week), a Harlequin Duck, hundreds of scoters, and two Long-tailed Ducks! It was a better-than-average winter for scoters, with all three species reported: single White-winged Scoters at Aripeka–Bayport and Choctawhatchee Bay; 73 Surf Scoters on six counts (among these 39 at Cedar Key, 18 at Daytona Beach, and 11 at West Palm Beach), and 1,443 Black Scoters on 24 counts (including 400 at West Palm Beach, 260 at Daytona Beach, 250 at Cedar Key, and 217 at Dade County). Other Long-tailed Ducks were at Cedar Key and Jacksonville, each with one. There were 3,603 Buffleheads on 37 CBCs, with 1,450 at Cedar Key, 360 at Bay County, and 260 at Apalachicola Bay–St. Vincent N.W.R. High counts of the 25 Common Goldeneyes seen on seven counts were eight at Crystal River and seven at St. Marks. Hooded Mergansers numbered 3,778 individuals on 51 counts, with 600 at St. Marks, 500 at The Villages–Lake Panasoffkee, and 275 at Jacksonville. Red-breasted Mergansers totaled 4,199 on 46 counts, including 950 at Fort De Soto, 800 at Bradenton, and 670 at Sarasota. Of the 1,061 Ruddy Ducks on 19 CBCs, 600 at Melrose and 100 at Merritt Island N.W.R. were the only triple-digit counts.

Wild Turkeys numbered 1,736 individuals on 46 counts, among these 188 at Flagler, 174 at Gainesville, and 158 at Kissimmee Prairie–DeLuca. Northern Bobwhites totaled 194 individuals on 21 counts, with 42 at Kissimmee Prairie–DeLuca and 39 at Tallahassee. Exotic landfowl totals were single Helmeted Guineafowl at Aripeka–Bayport and Matanzas; 228 Indian Peafowl on 12 counts (among these 105 at Kendall Area, 45 at Cocoa, and 30 at St. Petersburg); and 167 Red Junglefowl on three counts (including 145 at Key West). Thirteen Lesser Nighthawks were found: eight at Long Pine Key, three at Kendall Area, and two at Homestead. Two vocal Common Nighthawks were surprises at Avon Park A.F. Range. Of the 32 Eastern Whip-poor-wills tallied on 16 counts, six were at Gainesville and five at Lake Placid. Three Chuck-will’s-widows were at Homestead, with two at Fort Lauderdale, and one at Long Pine Key. Chaetura swifts were photographed at Gainesville and Tallahassee. Florida’s 384 hummingbirds were composed of 349 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (with 115 at Kendall Area and 46 at Homestead), five Black-chinned Hummingbirds (singles at Bay County, Lake City, Sarasota, Tampa, and Tallahassee), nine Rufous Hummingbirds (including three each at Homestead and Tallahassee, and two at Gainesville), two Calliope Hummingbirds at Choctawhatchee Bay, two Archilochus, 13 Selasphorus, and four not identified further. Two Mangrove Cuckoos graced Kendall Area, with another at Coot Bay–Everglades N.P. Rock Pigeons totaled 7,618 individuals on 53 counts, with 800 at Sarasota, 700 at Kendall Area, 650 at Bay County, and 500 at West Palm Beach. There were 103 White-crowned Pigeons on eight counts, among these 26 at Key West, 24 at Kendall Area, 16 at Long Key–Lignumvitae, 15 at Crocodile Lake N.W.R., and 12 at Long Pine Key. Eurasian Collared-Doves numbered 3,364 individuals on 65 counts, representing their second-lowest total since 2002—only the 120th season produced a lower total. This species continues its substantial, long-term decline in Florida (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Eurasian Collared-Dove Numbers on Christmas Bird Counts in Florida, 2002–2023. These are raw numbers that have not been adjusted for party-hour or any other factor.

Of the state’s 386 Clapper Rails, 189 on six counts were along the Atlantic coast and 197 on 19 counts were along the Gulf coast. Purple Gallinules totaled 422 on 27 counts, with 135 at Emeralda–Sunnyhill, 60 at West Palm Beach, and 41 at The Villages–Lake Panasoffkee. High counts of the state’s 204 Gray-headed Swamphens on 12 counts were 90 at West Palm Beach, 39 at Zellwood–Mount Dora, 25 at Sarasota, and 17 at Lake Placid; Lake Placid and Ten Thousand Islands recorded their firsts this season. No Black Rails or Yellow Rails were found. Florida’s 9,788 Sandhill Cranes were seen on 50 counts, among these 4,100 at Gainesville, 620 at Melrose, and 570 at Lake Placid. A single Whooping Crane—a long-surviving member of a sadly unsuccessful reintroduction program that ended in 2008—was found at Gainesville. What is happening with Limpkins? Their numbers have dropped for four of the past five seasons (this year notably so), with only 855 individuals on 51 counts; totals for the previous five CBC seasons were 1,379, 1,559, 1,109, 2,265, and 2,181, respectively. This season’s high counts came from Sarasota and West Palm Beach, with 100 each. Gainesville’s total of 61 this season compares unfavorably to its previous five seasons: 300, 389, 144, 510, and 540, respectively. Duos of Eared Grebes were at Melrose and Zellwood–Mount Dora. The event of the season was the influx of American Flamingoes from Hurricane Idalia in late August; see the introduction, above. The feral American Flamingo flock at Hialeah Race Track on the Dade County CBC numbered 96 individuals this season.

American Oystercatchers totaled 1,718 individuals on 22 counts, with 1,400 at Cedar Key; the next-highest total was 46 at St. Marks! There were 184 Black-necked Stilts on seven counts, with 120 at Myakka River S.P. American Avocets numbered 1,047 on 13 counts, including 700 at Cedar Key and 97 at Jacksonville; one count-week was the first for West Pasco. Snowy Plovers numbered 98 on 10 counts along the Gulf coast, including 29 at Apalachicola Bay–St. Vincent N.W.R., 25 at Bay County, and 10 each at Choctawhatchee Bay, Fort De Soto, and Panacea. Piping Plovers were reported in greater numbers and were found along both coasts: 194 individuals on 12 counts, with 52 at North Pinellas, 40 at Fort De Soto, 38 at Panacea, and 27 at Fort Myers. There were 41 Whimbrels on eight counts, with 15 at Cedar Key and 13 at Matanzas. No Long-billed Curlews were tallied this season. Marbled Godwits totaled 821 individuals on 15 counts, among these 520 at Coot Bay–Everglades N.P. and 147 at Cedar Key. Red Knots numbered 1,376 individuals on 20 counts, including 330 at Fort De Soto, 211 at Sarasota, and 178 at North Pinellas. Five Purple Sandpipers were found along the Atlantic coast: two each at Jacksonville and South Brevard County, and one at Cocoa. Twenty-six American Woodcocks were found on 11 counts, among these 10 at Gainesville and three at Melrose. Nine Solitary Sandpipers were tallied on seven counts: two each at Estero Bay and Stuart, and singles at Avon Park A.F. Range, Bradenton, Okaloacoochee Slough–Spirit of the Wild W.M.A., Sarasota, and West Palm Beach.

Black Skimmers totaled 10,077 individuals on 27 counts, among these 2,850 at Coot Bay–Everglades N.P., 1,660 at Matanzas, and 1,400 at Cedar Key. A first-winter Black-legged Kittiwake graced Stuart (count-week). There were 1,243 Bonaparte’s Gulls on 44 counts, with 185 at Choctawhatchee Bay, 154 at Apalachicola Bay–St. Vincent N.W.R., 122 at The Villages–Lake Panasoffkee, and 100 at Melrose. Single Franklin’s Gulls were photographed at Melrose (inland!) and Sarasota. Many Great Black-backed Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls have been reported in the Florida Keys during recent seasons, and these rarely elicit compiler comments; we now require documentation for these species in the Keys if more than a few individuals are reported (this season, almost none were). Lesser Black-backed Gulls numbered 611 on 26 counts, with 145 at Kendall Area, 110 at Cocoa, 75 at West Palm Beach, and 43 at Coot Bay–Everglades N.P. There were 37 Great Black-backed Gulls on seven counts, among these 16 at Ponce Inlet and 13 at Cocoa. Single Gull-billed Terns were at Alafia Banks and Sarasota. Common Terns are a near-annual identification concern during winter and a species for which documentation is required statewide. This season, details were received from Choctawhatchee Bay (five), Fort De Soto (two), and Venice–Englewood (two). We deleted Common Terns from four other counts. There were 3,067 Forster’s Terns on 52 counts, including 260 at Jacksonville, 220 at Matanzas, 205 at Cedar Key, and 200 at Ponce Inlet.

Sea-watches at Daytona Beach resulted in some impressive pelagic species: one Pomarine Jaeger, 37 Parasitic Jaegers, Thick-billed Murre (count-week), Razorbill (count-week), and Glaucous Gull (count-week)! Venice–Englewood recorded the only other Pomarine Jaeger, and an unidentified jaeger was at Jacksonville. A Red-throated Loon was count-week at Daytona Beach, while a Pacific Loon was well-documented at Pensacola. Common Loons numbered 1,156 on 33 counts, including 350 at Pensacola, 166 at Choctawhatchee Bay, 143 at Bay County, and 122 at Fort De Soto. Wood Storks totaled 4,663 individuals on 68 counts, with 800 at Gainesville, 223 at Lake Placid, and 220 at Bradenton. There were 322 Magnificent Frigatebirds on 22 counts, among these 49 each at Crocodile Lake N.W.R. and Dade County, and 36 at Sanibel–Captiva. Northern Gannets totaled 349 individuals on 18 counts, including 78 at Daytona Beach, 73 at Ponce Inlet, and 47 at Choctawhatchee Bay. A Masked Booby was at Daytona Beach during count-week. Of the 51 Brown Boobys on five counts were 24 at St. Petersburg (!—they have been regular in Tampa Bay since 2016) and 19 at Biscayne N.P. A Great Cormorant was photographed at Choctawhatchee Bay. No Neotropic Cormorants were reported. Double-crested Cormorants were found on every CBC; statewide totals were 37,565 individuals with high counts of 5,700 at Coot Bay–Everglades N.P. and 5,000 at Pensacola.

Wading birds (no longer including Wood Stork) numbered 121,039 individuals, including 314 “Great White Herons” (293 of these at Coot Bay–Everglades N.P.), two “Wurdemann’s Herons” at Coot Bay–Everglades N.P., and 111 Reddish Egrets on 18 counts (among these 22 at Fort Myers, 18 at Coot Bay–Everglades N.P., and 13 at North Pinellas). White Ibises totaled 67,264 individuals on 76 counts, with 4,000 each at Bay Lake and Kendall Area, 3,500 each at Gainesville and Stuart, and 2,650 at Dade County. Of the 10,297 Glossy Ibises on 52 counts, 1,200 were at Stuart, 950 at Gainesville, 900 at Sarasota, and 850 at Venice–Englewood. Single White-faced Ibises were at Gainesville, St. Marks (which also tallied seven Plegadis), and Tallahassee. Florida’s 1,573 Roseate Spoonbills were distributed among 52 counts, with 200 at Merritt Island N.W.R., 157 at Coot Bay–Everglades N.P., and 150 at Myakka River S.P. There were 13,529 American White Pelicans on 46 counts, including 3,500 at Coot Bay–Everglades N.P., 1,200 at Ten Thousand Islands, and 900 at Merritt Island N.W.R. Brown Pelicans numbered 13,964 individuals on 50 counts, among these 700 at Pensacola, 670 at Sarasota, and 620 at St. Petersburg.

There were 13,545 Black Vultures on 73 counts, and 41,596 Turkey Vultures on all 78.

Selected diurnal raptors included 3,387 Ospreys on 76 counts, 1,765 Bald Eagles on 70 (among these 135 at Gainesville, 85 at Econlockhatchee, and 66 at Ponce Inlet), and 3,475 Red-shouldered Hawks on 74 counts. Sixteen White-tailed Kites were found: 10 at Homestead, three at Long Pine Key, two at STA5–Clewiston, and one at Kissimmee Prairie–DeLuca. Accipiter totals were 279 Cooper’s Hawks on 67 counts, and 108 Sharp-shinned Hawks on 42. Snail Kite numbers declined sharply from the previous five seasons with only 88 individuals on 15 counts; totals for the previous five CBC seasons were 349, 186, 153, 234, and 168 individuals, respectively. The recent drought probably played a part, as did the mind-blowing expansion of Snail Kites into the Gainesville CBC circle beginning with the 119th CBC season. Snail Kite totals at Gainesville for the past seven CBC seasons are 88, 275, 119, 89, 104, 29, and 0 respectively. Short-tailed Hawks totaled 119 individuals on 29 counts, including 27 at Homestead, 17 at Kendall Area, 11 at Long Pine Key, and nine at Ten Thousand Islands. Four Swainson’s Hawks were at Homestead, with another at STA5–Clewiston. Florida’s five resident owl species equaled 32 Barn Owls on 12 counts (including eight at Zellwood–Mount Dora, five at STA5–Clewiston, and four at Kendall Area), 100 Burrowing Owls on 10 (among these 60 at Fort Myers and 10 at Kissimmee Prairie–DeLuca), 262 Great Horned Owls on 54 (with 35 at Gainesville and 25 at Tallahassee), 201 Eastern Screech-Owls on 41; and 346 Barred Owls on 54 counts (including 47 at Avon Park A.F. Range). Belted Kingfishers were found on every CBC, with a statewide total of 2,007 individuals; the highest counts were 113 at Ten Thousand Islands, 75 at Merritt Island N.W.R., and 64 at Cedar Key.

Red-headed Woodpeckers numbered 324 individuals on 36 counts, with 41 at Avon Park A.F. Range, 39 at Jackson County, and 30 at Myakka River. Among 1,904 Downy Woodpeckers on 71 counts were 118 at Gainesville, 97 at Sarasota, and 80 at Melrose. Red-cockaded Woodpeckers numbered 71 individuals on nine counts, including 23 at Panacea, 17 at Avon Park A.F. Range, and eight at South Brevard County. Probably Florida’s rarest Dryobates, Hairy Woodpeckers totaled 27 on 11 counts, with eight at Avon Park A.F. Range. There were 489 Northern Flickers on 58 counts, among these 55 at Tallahassee, 33 at Gainesville, and 26 at Lake City. Pileated Woodpeckers numbered 1,494 on 69 counts, including 77 at Tallahassee, 61 at Ichetucknee–Santa Fe–O’Leno, 60 at Gainesville, and 59 at Emeralda–Sunnyhill. Crested Caracaras totaled 128 individuals on 16 counts, with 41 at Kissimmee Prairie–DeLuca, 19 at STA5–Clewiston, and 16 at Okaloacoochee Slough–Spirit of the Wild W.M.A. Of Florida’s 2,213 American Kestrels on all 78 counts were 138 at STA5–Clewiston, 82 at Homestead, 76 at Lake Wales, and 73 at South Brevard County. Merlins totaled 126 on 53 counts, among these 10 at Homestead, eight at Bay County, and six at Lake Placid. Peregrine Falcons totaled 48 on 26 counts, with four each at Gainesville and Naples, and three each Homestead and Kendall Area. Fourteen species of psittacids totaling 2,845 individuals were reported, distributed over 20 CBCs. There were 709 Monk Parakeets on 17 counts (with 180 at St. Petersburg, 170 at West Palm Beach, and 80 at Fort Myers). One White-winged Parakeet was found at Kendall Area (this species is no longer “countable” on Florida CBCs), while Yellow-chevroned Parakeets were tallied at Dade County (eight), Homestead (12), and Kendall Area (125). Fort Lauderdale provided the only Red-crowned Parrot (count-week) and Yellow-headed Parrot. Orange-winged Parrots, the most successful Amazona in Florida, numbered 21 at Kendall Area, eight at Dade County, and four at Fort Lauderdale. A total of 1,352 Nanday Parakeets was tallied on 12 counts, including 325 at St. Petersburg, 300 at Sarasota, and 190 each at Bradenton and Fort De Soto. All of Florida’s macaws were at Kendall Area: 13 Blue-and-yellow and two Chestnut-fronted. Blue-crowned Parakeets were at Fort DeSoto (two), Fort Lauderdale (55), and St. Petersburg (12). Psittacara parakeets consisted of 29 White-eyed Parakeets (23 at Dade County and six at Fort Lauderdale), 101 Red-masked Parakeets (69 at Kendall Area, 26 at Dade County (26), and six at Fort Lauderdale), and 381 Mitred Parakeets (345 at Kendall Area and 36 at Dade County). Eight Rose-ringed Parakeets were tallied at Naples, their only remaining location.

Six Least Flycatchers were tallied: four at Zellwood–Mount Dora and singles at Dade County and Long Pine Key. Vermilion Flycatchers brightened 11 counts, with two each at Homestead and Tallahassee and singles elsewhere. Three Tropical Kingbirds were at Homestead, with another at STA5–Clewiston. A Cassin’s Kingbird was photographed at Dinner Island Ranch–East Okaloacoochee Slough. There were 40 Western Kingbirds on 14 counts, with 10 at Homestead, five at East Pasco, and four at Pensacola. An Eastern Kingbird photographed at St. Marks provided one of few records during winter. Of Florida’s 27 Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, 19 were at Homestead, three at Alafia Banks, two at Okaloacoochee Slough–Spirit of the Wild W.M.A., and singles each at Cedar Key, Dinner Island Ranch–East Okaloacoochee Slough, and Key West. Two Ash-throated Flycatchers each were at Clermont and Kendall Area, with singles at Gainesville, Homestead, Jackson County, Sarasota, and Zellwood–Mount Dora. Great Crested Flycatchers totaled 263 individuals on 32 counts, among these 43 at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, 26 at Ten Thousand Islands, and 21 at Fakahatchee. No Brown-crested Flycatchers were reported. Twenty-five Yellow-throated Vireos were found on seven counts, with 16 at Kendall Area. Good details were provided for a Bell’s Vireo at Long Pine Key, and a Warbling Vireo was photographed at Kendall Area. High totals of the 1,526 Loggerhead Shrikes found on 66 counts were 163 at Peace River, 83 at Naples, 81 at Homestead, and 74 at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Florida Scrub-Jays numbered 283 individuals on 13 counts, with 72 at South Brevard County, 55 at Merritt Island N.W.R., and 41 at Lake Placid. There were 9,851 American Crows on 63 counts, and 41,824 Fish Crows on 66. Cedar Waxwings totaled 1,329 individuals on 34 counts, with just two three-digit counts: 270 at Emeralda–Sunnyhill and 130 at Gainesville. Parid totals were 2,462 Carolina Chickadees on 39 counts, and 3,977 Tufted Titmice on 54. One Horned Lark was found at Jackson County, there were two Red-whiskered Bulbuls at Kendall Area, and two Purple Martins were at Sarasota. Twenty-seven Barn Swallows were documented: 20 at Long Pine Key, five at Homestead, and two at Coot Bay–Everglades N.P. Good details were provided for a Bank Swallow at Homestead, which also furnished 240 Cave Swallows. Of the 233 Northern Rough-winged Swallows on nine counts, 118 were at STA5–Clewiston, 50 at Ten Thousand Islands, and 27 at West Palm Beach. Ruby-crowned Kinglets numbered 3,524 individuals on 62 counts, including 525 at Gainesville, 270 at Melrose, and 225 at Tallahassee. Forty-eight Golden-crowned Kinglets were tallied on 10 counts, with 14 at Tallahassee, 10 at Panacea, and nine at St. Marks. Eight Winter Wrens were found: four at Jackson County, two at St. Marks, and singles at Choctawhatchee Bay and Tallahassee. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers totaled 8,875 individuals on 77 counts, including 600 at Sarasota, 555 at Kendall Area, 390 at Gainesville, and 300 at Myakka River S.P. Tallahassee furnished 22 White-breasted Nuthatches, with two others at St. Marks. Brown-headed Nuthatches numbered 631 individuals on 28 counts, among these 63 at Panacea, 56 at Port St. Joe, and 49 at Christmas. No Red-breasted Nuthatches were reported this season.  Single Brown Creepers were at Choctawhatchee Bay and Tallahassee. European Starlings totaled 26,564 individuals on 69 counts, with 2,700 at Naples, 2,500 at Kendall Area, 2,400 at West Palm Beach, and 2,300 at St. Petersburg. Although showing no range expansion to the north or west, Common Mynas now occur throughout the Mainline Keys. This season, 57 were found: 19 each at Homestead and Kendall Area, seven at Fort Lauderdale, five at Crocodile Lake N.W.R., three at Dade County, and two each at Key West and West Palm Beach. No Common Hill Mynas were found; this species is approaching extirpation. There were 4,373 Eastern Bluebirds on 53 counts, with 280 each at Gainesville and Pensacola, 275 at Choctawhatchee Bay, and 250 each at Bay County and Melrose. It was an average year for American Robins, with 43,446 on 60 counts—highest totals were 5,500 at Melrose, 4,700 at Emeralda–Sunnyhill, 3,150 at St. Marks, and 3,000 at Flagler. House Sparrows totaled 1,582 individuals on 50 counts, among these 180 at Kendall Area, 145 at Bay County, and 136 at Sarasota. There were 95 Scaly-breasted Munias on three counts: 55 at Kendall Area, 38 at Pensacola, and two at Tampa. Although the peninsular munia populations are not related to the burgeoning population found from Mississippi to the western Florida Panhandle, Scaly-breasted Munias will be “countable” statewide starting in December 2024. American Pipits numbered 219 on nine counts, among these 100 at Zellwood–Mount Dora, 73 at Jackson County, 33 at Melrose, and one south to Coot Bay–Everglades N.P. No Sprague’s Pipits were found this season. The sole Purple Finch was at Melrose. House Finches numbered 1,019 individuals on 47 counts, among these 190 at Pensacola, 105 at Gainesville, and 67 at Choctawhatchee Bay. There were 1,556 American Goldfinches on 50 counts, with triple-digit totals of 150 at Ichetucknee–Santa Fe–O’Leno, 140 at Tallahassee, 127 at Emeralda–Sunnyhill, 120 at Melrose, and 118 at St. Marks. Nine Pine Siskins were at Port St. Joe, with another at West Pasco.

The rarest of the 20 species of sparrows were found on one count each: four Henslow’s Sparrows and two LeConte’s Sparrows at Gainesville, and six Clay-colored Sparrows at Homestead. Forty-four Bachman’s Sparrows were found across 11 counts, with 10 at Kissimmee Prairie–DeLuca, seven each at Gainesville and Tallahassee, and five at Melrose.  Five Lark Sparrows were tallied: two at Pensacola and singles at Long Pine Key, St. Petersburg, and Venice–Englewood. Single Dark-eyed Juncos enlivened Panacea and Pensacola. Eleven Seaside Sparrows were found on five Gulf coast counts south to Crystal River, with seven others along the Atlantic coast south to St. Augustine. There were 48 Nelson’s Sparrows found on seven Gulf coast counts (including seven south to Aripeka–Bayport and two to Fort DeSoto), with 15 others along the Atlantic coast (one at Jacksonville and 14 at St. Augustine). Seven Saltmarsh Sparrows were found: three each at Jacksonville and Fort De Soto, and one at St. Augustine. Lincoln’s Sparrows totaled 15 individuals: five at Long Pine Key, three each at Gainesville and Homestead, and singles at Bay County, St. Augustine, Tallahassee, and West Palm Beach. Swamp Sparrows numbered 2,199 on 61 counts, among these 300 at Gainesville, 200 at Emeralda–Sunnyhill, and 140 at Tallahassee.

Two Yellow-breasted Chats were at Gainesville, with another at Long Pine Key. A Yellow-headed Blackbird was at Homestead. Eastern Meadowlarks totaled 1,511 individuals on 51 counts, including 150 at STA5–Clewiston, 140 at Lake Placid, 130 at Homestead, and 129 at Kissimmee Prairie–De Luca. Choctawhatchee Bay provided the only Bullock’s Oriole. Of the 96 Baltimore Orioles found on 14 counts, 35 were at Gainesville, 18 at Tallahassee, and 15 at Melrose. Thirteen Spot-breasted Orioles were tallied: six at Kendall Area, five at Dade County, and two at West Palm Beach. Four Shiny Cowbirds were at Homestead, with another at Sarasota. Bronzed Cowbirds were at Kendall Area (27), Alafia Banks (two), and Homestead (one). There were 9,792 Brown-headed Cowbirds on 58 counts, with 2,730 at Gainesville and 1,100 at Ichetucknee–Santa Fe–O’Leno. Of Florida’s 127 Rusty Blackbirds: 79 were at Gainesville, 41 at Jackson County, five at Tallahassee, and two at St. Marks. Ninety Brewer’s Blackbirds were at Jackson County, with another photographed far south at Homestead. There were 33,186 Common Grackles on 75 counts, and 21,140 Boat-tailed Grackles on 70. St. Petersburg’s Great-tailed Grackle, present since March 2023, provided a new species for the Florida CBC database.

This season, 24 species of New World warblers were accepted. Five species exceeded 1,000 individuals statewide: 32,491 Yellow-rumped Warblers on 74 counts, 21,059 Palm Warblers on all 78 counts; 5,154 Pine Warblers on 71 counts; 3,124 Common Yellowthroats on 74 counts; and 1,139 Black-and-white Warblers on 71 counts. The rarest New World warblers were all at Kendall Area: one Tennessee Warbler, one Hooded Warbler (count-week), and one Black-throated Gray Warbler. Single Worm-eating Warblers were at Homestead and Kendall Area. Single Louisiana Waterthrushes were found at Avon Park A.F. Range, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Dade County, Homestead, and West Palm Beach. Of the 181 Northern Waterthrushes found on 26 counts, 69 were at Coot Bay–Everglades N.P., with 21 others at Homestead, and 10 at Long Key–Lignumvitae. Single Nashville Warblers graced Gainesville, Kendall Area, Lake City, and Tallahassee. Other New World warblers found at Kendall Area included 26 American Redstarts, 145 Northern Parulas, four Magnolia Warblers, 14 Black-throated Blue Warblers, 105 Prairie Warblers, and 12 Black-throated Green Warblers. Statewide, there were 29 Black-throated Blue Warblers on seven counts, and 48 Black-throated Green Warblers on 16 counts. Seven Wilson’s Warblers were found on five counts: two each at Gainesville and Long Pine Key, and singles at Homestead, Kendall Area, and Tallahassee.

Among the 19 Summer Tanagers found on 11 counts were three each at Alafia Banks and Gainesville, and two each at Kendall Area and Sarasota. Five Western Tanagers were documented: two each at Kendall Area and West Palm Beach, and one at Gainesville. An immature male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was photographed at Homestead. Northern Cardinals were found on every CBC, with 7,408 counted; high totals were 700 at Gainesville, 480 at Tallahassee, and 240 each at Jackson County and Sarasota. Single Dickcissels were at Homestead and Long Pine Key. Two Blue Grosbeaks were at West Palm Beach, with one each at Kendall Area and Long Pine Key. Indigo Buntings totaled 103 individuals on 22 counts, including 15 at Myakka River S.P., 14 each at Bradenton and Sarasota, and 12 at Peace River. Painted Buntings totaled 460 individuals on 42 counts, among these 84 at Homestead, 72 at Kendall Area, and 50 at West Palm Beach.

For the 16th year, Bruce Anderson reviewed most of the documentation forms received from compilers. Following Bruce’s review, I searched eBird for photographs of rare species that were found on CBCs but for which compilers did not submit documentation. I found nearly 40 valid records that allowed these rare species to remain in the CBC database. Together, our efforts resulted in 204 rare birds being documented on 49 CBCs. Compilers from 23 CBCs that contained rare species provided no details, thereby failing to perform one of their most important duties: ensuring that all species reported on their CBC were correctly identified and documented. This season, we deleted 24 reports of extremely rare or often-misidentified species from 17 counts, much lower totals than during our previous 15 years due in large part to our review of eBird. We should not have to spend hours reviewing eBird data for rarities found on Christmas Bird Counts, but we cannot in good conscience delete CBC reports without first reviewing the eBird database to see if details or photographs have been posted online.

We deleted four species from one CBC, two species each from four other counts, and one species each from 13 other counts. Deleted reports were Common Goldeneye (inland, central peninsula), Greater Scaup (200, southern peninsula), Manx Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Snowy Plover (three, Florida Keys), Sanderling (12, inland), “Eastern” Willet (“Western” Willet was also reported; there is no known record of an “Eastern” Willet occurring in Florida during winter), Short-billed Dowitcher (42, inland; there may not be any record in Florida of Short-billed Dowitchers inland during winter), Black-headed Gull, Common Tern (from four counts—we are not kidding when we state in our annual letter to compilers that, “… we delete every undocumented Common Tern reported on Florida CBCs”), Mangrove Cuckoo, Chimney Swift, Eastern Wood-Pewee (five and 26 individuals each; this species is again rearing its ugly head on CBCs after many years of no reports; there is no record of an Eastern Wood-Pewee occurring in Florida during winter), White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Black-capped Vireo (three; there is no record of Black-capped Vireo in North America east of the Mississippi River, and yet, this species is infrequently claimed on Florida CBCs), Prothonotary Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler (a male in alternate plumage), and Brewer’s Blackbird. These deleted reports represent 0.26% of all Florida CBC sightings this season. We appended 21 other sightings with the DD (“Details Desired”) code, and 15 sightings—primarily for Mottled Duck totals—with the QN (“Questionable Number”) code.

We thank the following compilers for their attention to detail and for documenting the rarities found on their counts: Sharon Allen (Lake Wales), the “Archbold Bird Lab” (Lake Placid), Bill Boeringer (Kendall Area), Laura Berkelman (Melrose), David Bowman (Tampa), Dana Bryan (St. Marks), Gigi DelPizzo (Emeralda–Sunnyhill), Charlie Ewell (Fort Myers), Jay Exum (Wekiva River), Charlie Fisher (Alafia Banks), Ginger Feagle (Ichetucknee–Santa Fe–O’Leno), Kristina Fisher (Merritt Island N.W.R.), Mitchell Harris (Cocoa), Emily Johnson (Key Largo–Plantation Key), Kevin Kalasz (Lower Keys–Key Deer N.W.R.), Sue Killeen (Matanzas), Emily Kless (Naples), Bill Kaempfer (St. Petersburg), Andrew Kratter (Gainesville), Belinda Perry (Myakka River S.P.), Brian Rapoza (Coot Bay–Everglades N.P. and Dade County), Michele Reyes (West Marion), Carlos Sanchez (Homestead), Bradley Smith (Apalachicola Bay–St. Vincent N.W.R.), Malcolm Mark Swan (Choctawhatchee Bay), Jon Thomton (Bay Lake), Chuck Weber (West Palm Beach), Aaron Virgin (Sarasota), Catherine Welch (Kissimmee Prairie–DeLuca), and James Wheat (Jacksonville).