Audubon of Florida’s Tavernier Science Center and Florida Coastal Island Sanctuaries Program are banding Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) chicks in Florida Bay and Tampa Bay, Florida to learn more about their distribution, behavior and general ecological requirements.

We hypothesize that Roseate Spoonbills can be biological indicators to assess the ecological integrity of wetlands and other ecosystems. In Florida, Roseate Spoonbill numbers are increasing in Tampa Bay while sharply declining in Florida Bay, reflecting impacts of regional development and water management. Dr. Jerry Lorenz, State Research Director at Audubon of Florida’s Tavernier Science Center, observes, “Water management practices destroyed spoonbill nesting efforts by flooding Florida Bay with water from the Everglades during what should have been the winter drought dry-down.”

Audubon of Florida began banding spoonbill chicks in Florida and Tampa Bay in 2003. Chicks are fitted with a colored band on the mid-leg (tibia) and a USGS silver band on the tarsus (just above the foot). Each colored band has a unique letter and number code. Birds in Tampa Bay are banded with red bands, while birds from Florida Bay have yellow, white, grey, blue or black bands. We request that observers from the southeastern United States assist us by reporting banded spoonbill observations.

To report a banded Roseate Spoonbill:

http://www.audubonofflorida.org\who_tavernier_reportspoonbills.html

Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries Office:

Phone: 1-813-623-6826

Fax: 1-813-623-4086

Ann Hodgson, Ph. D.: ahodgson@audubon.org

Mark Rachal: mrachal@audubon.org

Tavernier Science Center:

Phone: 1- 305-852-5318

Karen Dyer: kdyer@audubon.org