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GO UP ONE LEVEL TO: Nature & Outdoors
Identify Birds
Into the woods, along the beaches, deep in the mangrove forest and wading through wetlands, birding on The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel is a hoot – and a cackle, a caw and a squawk. Named best in the U.S. for birding by USA Today, the area sports a new section of the Great Florida Birding Trail. Here’s a sampling of the more than 300 species that populate the area on a full- and part-time basis.
Osprey
A great time to see this bird of prey is during morning feeding times at the shore.
Bald eagle
Pine Island has the largest concentration of these majestic birds in the area, and there are three or four nests in Cape Coral.
Egrets
Several varieties call the area home: snowy, reddish, great and cattle.
Anhinga
Don’t confuse this fresh- and saltwater bird with the cormorant, which also dries its wings in the sun.
Burrowing owl
Only nine inches tall, Cape Coral is the place to see these unusual owls, active during the day and at night.
Roseate spoonbill
Pink birds feed in dark-brown mud flats at sunset in the J.N. “Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
White ibis
One of the most common birds found in the mud flats, this bird is brown until it’s one year of age.
Pileated woodpecker
Plentiful on Sanibel Island, this tree-tapper is 16 inches from top to tail. 
Belted kingfisher
A winter resident, this king of fishers is found anywhere along area waterways.
White pelican
A visitor from the northern plains states, sandbars and Pine Island Sound are its winter homes.
Crested caracara
Related to the vulture, this bird is distinguished by its wildly colored head. See it at Babcock Ranch.
Great blue heron
Long legs make this heron four feet tall. Find it wading in the shallows or nesting in the trees.
Common moorhen
See this black bird with a bright red bill in any wild, freshwater system.
Brown pelican
These large birds hang out on dock posts and nest in large colonies.
Last modified on Jun 15, 2007
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Sanibel & Captiva Islands
