Migrating Birds of South Florida

There are several species of birds that spend the winter months in south Florida, and then migrate to northern states and countries during the hotter summer months. These bird species travel anywhere between three hundred and three thousand miles on their annual migrations, following the same flight patterns as their ancestors before them.

  1. Hummingbirds

    • Ruby-throated hummingbirds are one bird species known to migrate to southern Florida from central and south America. Hummingbirds are unique because they are solitary birds who do not migrate or live in flocks. While some individual birds may settle along the gulf coast during the winter months, many individual ruby-throated hummingbirds make their way to southern and central Florida. Hummingbirds can fly about 500 miles nonstop, a flight which takes the tiny birds between 18 and 22 hours.

    Yellow Warblers

    • Yellow Warblers spend most of their years migrating from place to place. These birds spend the winter months in Peru and Brazil, and then, by about April 1 each year, the Yellow Warblers have made their way into southern Florida. While they spend some time in southern Florida, the Yellow Warbler will only stay shortly. By the middle of summer, most Yellow Warblers will live in northern Canada and the Arctic.

    Northern Parula

    • The Northern Parula bird species spends its winters in southern Florida, and then migrates between 300 and 3,000 miles north each winter. Some Northern Parulas end up in Canada, while others migrate to the northern portion of the United States. It is a small bird at only 5-inches long with a 7-inch wingspan. The Northern Parula spends the winter months in Florida eating nectar.

    Blackpoll Warbler

    • The Blackpoll Warbler spends its winter months in southern Florida, and then has a unique migratory trek to Alaska for the winter months. The Blackpoll Warbler starts out slow, taking about 30 days to travel the first 1,000 miles of its journey. During this first month, the Blackpoll Warbler only flies about 30 miles each day. However, the last two weeks of the journey, the Blackpoll Warbler will fly about 180 miles each day. This allows the bird to fly about 2,500 miles in two weeks.