Who doesn’t need a change in scenery every now and then?
Flamingos were spotted dipping their pink wings into Florida waters for the first time in a century after they were blown away by Hurricane Idalia’s storm surge.
Sightings of the rare bird have been reported at numerous natural waterways across the Sunshine State in the days following Idalia’s fury, as well as as far north as Pennsylvania and west Texas, officials said this week.
Flamingos were likely flown to Florida from Mexico and Cuba when Idalia first formed in Central America as a low pressure trough before moving north toward the southeastern US.
“Hurricane Idalia likely ‘captured’ single flamingos and small flocks from this region, blowing them into Florida due to strong storm winds,” said the environmental group Audubon Florida.
However, spontaneous changes in the environment do not seem to faze the flamingos.
The stunning photographs show the fluorescent birds making themselves comfortable in the tropical climate and clear waters of Florida, which they have not called home for 100 years.
Flamingos were spotted across Florida, in western Texas and in northern Pennsylvania after being blown away by Hurricane Idalia.SandraB/X
The Sunshine State was a paradise for birds until the early 19th century when fashion trends turned towards the popularity of feathers.
Over the next century, flamingos were hunted to near extinction for their brightly colored feathers so women could wear them as ornaments in their hats, according to Audubon officials.
The catastrophic draining of the Everglades in the 1900s only exacerbated the issue, forcing the few surviving beautiful birds to seek safety further south.
The pink bird was hunted to near extinction 100 years ago.
The rare flamingos that call Florida their permanent home make up only 1% of the global flamingo population, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Groups like Audubon and other environmental advocates are pushing for stricter protections for wading bird nests.
Populations of the equally pink Roseate Spoonbills have revived in the state in recent years thanks to recovery efforts, sparking some hope that the same can be done for the American Flamingo.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
