Florida in Winter

Few places in North America rival Florida for winter birding. As northern temperatures drop, thousands of migratory birds descend upon the Sunshine State’s wetlands, beaches, and pine forests, creating one of the continent’s most dynamic birding landscapes.

We begin along the Gulf Coast, where the tidal shallows and mangroves of Estero Bay and Sanibel Island glow with color—Roseate Spoonbills, Reddish Egrets, and flocks of Black Skimmers feeding beside terns and herons. Inland, the pine flatwoods of Babcock-Webb Wildlife Management Area harbor elusive Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatches, and perhaps a Bachman’s Sparrow calling from the palmetto.

Crossing the peninsula, we’ll explore wetlands where Snail Kites and Limpkins forage among lily-filled marshes, and springs where West Indian Manatees seek refuge from the cool Gulf waters. The adventure culminates on Florida’s Space Coast, home to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore, where vast impoundments brim with ducks, ibises, and herons, and oak scrub shelters the state’s only endemic bird, the Florida Scrub-Jay.

From manatees and alligators to pelicans and spoonbills, each day offers new discoveries under Florida’s clear winter skies—making this journey a quintessential warm-weather escape for birders.

A coast-to-coast cross section of mangroves, tidal estuaries, pine flatwoods, freshwater marshes, cypress swamp, and coastal scrub—Florida’s most iconic ecosystems at their winter peak.