2. Travel
  3. Florida: Everglades National Park

January 2016

America's Everglades is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. Everglades National Park protects an unparalleled landscape that provides important habitat for numerous rare and endangered species like the manatee, American crocodile, and the elusive Florida panther. An international treasure as well - a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, a Wetland of International Importance, and a specially protected areas under the Cartagena Treaty. Prior to 1945, this area was known as Paradise Key Hammock. "Hammock" in Florida is a term used to describe an island of tropical hardwood trees surrounded by pine or sawgrass. Before a devastating fire in 1945, this hammock was considered one of the most beautiful. Under the leadership of the Florida Federation of Women's Clubs, this area became Royal Palm State Park in 1919, and later the nucleus for Everglades National Park established in 1947. Water, tropical climate, elevation, and fire are the essential ingredients that make the Everglades unique in North America. Water is the rejuvenating life blood. The climate - frost free, humid and warm - nurtures a mix of both temperate and tropical inhabitants. Slight changes in inches of elevation diversify what seems to be a monotonously flat landscape. Fire, that much maligned element, can restore health and protect diversity.
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  • Great Egret

    Great Egret

    The Great Egret (Ardea alba) (aka Great White Egret or Common Egret) is a large egret. It is sometimes confused with the Great White Heron in Florida, which is a white morph of the closely related Great Blue Heron (A. herodias). Note however that the name Great White Heron has occasionally been used to refer to the Great Egret. Apart from size, the Great Egret can be distinguished from other white egrets by its yellow bill and black legs and feet, though the bill may become darker and the lower legs lighter in the breeding season. In breeding plumage, delicate ornamental feathers are borne on the back. Males and females are identical in appearance; juveniles look like non-breeding adults. It has a slow flight, with its neck retracted. This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes, ibises and spoonbills, which extend their necks in flight. The Great Egret is not normally a vocal bird; at breeding colonies, however, it often gives a loud croaking cuk cuk cuk. The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society, one of the oldest environmental organizations in North America.

  • Great Egret

    Great Egret

    The Great Egret (Ardea alba) (aka Great White Egret or Common Egret) is a large egret. It is sometimes confused with the Great White Heron in Florida, which is a white morph of the closely related Great Blue Heron (A. herodias). Note however that the name Great White Heron has occasionally been used to refer to the Great Egret. Apart from size, the Great Egret can be distinguished from other white egrets by its yellow bill and black legs and feet, though the bill may become darker and the lower legs lighter in the breeding season. In breeding plumage, delicate ornamental feathers are borne on the back. Males and females are identical in appearance; juveniles look like non-breeding adults. It has a slow flight, with its neck retracted. This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes, ibises and spoonbills, which extend their necks in flight. The Great Egret is not normally a vocal bird; at breeding colonies, however, it often gives a loud croaking cuk cuk cuk. The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society, one of the oldest environmental organizations in North America.

  • Tree Islands

    Tree Islands

    Like planets, the scattered clumps of darker vegetation harbor worlds dramatically different from the surrounding river of sawgrass. The biggest tree islands are hammocks. There, large mammals like deer and bobcat feed and rest in the dense shade of tropical hardwoods such as mahogany and gumbo limbo. A few inches of elevation can result in extreme contrasts in plants and wildlife habitat. Tree islands provide a kind of oasis with a greater profusion and diversity of plant and animal life. Songbirds flock there to gorge on berries, marsh rabbits are attracted to grassy edges, and hawks watch from overhead.

  • Tree Island

    Tree Island

    Like planets, the scattered clumps of darker vegetation harbor worlds dramatically different from the surrounding river of sawgrass. The biggest tree islands are hammocks. There, large mammals like deer and bobcat feed and rest in the dense shade of tropical hardwoods such as mahogany and gumbo limbo. A few inches of elevation can result in extreme contrasts in plants and wildlife habitat. Tree islands provide a kind of oasis with a greater profusion and diversity of plant and animal life. Songbirds flock there to gorge on berries, marsh rabbits are attracted to grassy edges, and hawks watch from overhead.

  • Great Egret

    Great Egret

    The Great Egret (Ardea alba) (aka Great White Egret or Common Egret) is a large egret. It is sometimes confused with the Great White Heron in Florida, which is a white morph of the closely related Great Blue Heron (A. herodias). Note however that the name Great White Heron has occasionally been used to refer to the Great Egret. Apart from size, the Great Egret can be distinguished from other white egrets by its yellow bill and black legs and feet, though the bill may become darker and the lower legs lighter in the breeding season. In breeding plumage, delicate ornamental feathers are borne on the back. Males and females are identical in appearance; juveniles look like non-breeding adults. It has a slow flight, with its neck retracted. This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes, ibises and spoonbills, which extend their necks in flight. The Great Egret is not normally a vocal bird; at breeding colonies, however, it often gives a loud croaking cuk cuk cuk. The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society, one of the oldest environmental organizations in North America.

  • Tree Island

    Tree Island

    Like planets, the scattered clumps of darker vegetation harbor worlds dramatically different from the surrounding river of sawgrass. The biggest tree islands are hammocks. There, large mammals like deer and bobcat feed and rest in the dense shade of tropical hardwoods such as mahogany and gumbo limbo. A few inches of elevation can result in extreme contrasts in plants and wildlife habitat. Tree islands provide a kind of oasis with a greater profusion and diversity of plant and animal life. Songbirds flock there to gorge on berries, marsh rabbits are attracted to grassy edges, and hawks watch from overhead.

  • Great Egret

    Great Egret

    The Great Egret (Ardea alba) (aka Great White Egret or Common Egret) is a large egret. It is sometimes confused with the Great White Heron in Florida, which is a white morph of the closely related Great Blue Heron (A. herodias). Note however that the name Great White Heron has occasionally been used to refer to the Great Egret. Apart from size, the Great Egret can be distinguished from other white egrets by its yellow bill and black legs and feet, though the bill may become darker and the lower legs lighter in the breeding season. In breeding plumage, delicate ornamental feathers are borne on the back. Males and females are identical in appearance; juveniles look like non-breeding adults. It has a slow flight, with its neck retracted. This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes, ibises and spoonbills, which extend their necks in flight. The Great Egret is not normally a vocal bird; at breeding colonies, however, it often gives a loud croaking cuk cuk cuk. The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society, one of the oldest environmental organizations in North America.

  • American Crow

    American Crow

    American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

  • American Crow

    American Crow

    American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

  • American Crow

    American Crow

    American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

  • Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond is located 24 miles from the main park entrance in Homestead. It is one of the traditional nesting sites located in the heart of Everglades National Park and is seasonally closed to protect the endangered Wood Stork and all nesting birds from human disturbance. Every winter "dry season," wading birds throughout the Everglades gather at traditional (and new) nesting sites in preparation for nest building. They form nesting colonies that often contain hundreds and even thousands of nesting birds. Species nesting at Paurotis Pond include the Great Egret (Ardea alba), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), Tri-colored Heron (Egretta tricolor), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), and Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga). However, one nesting species in particular really stands out among the others: the federally endangered Wood Stork (Mycteria americana). In recent years, Paurotis Pond has been the nesting site for approximately 400 pairs of nesting Wood Storks.

  • American Crow

    American Crow

    American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

  • Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond is located 24 miles from the main park entrance in Homestead. It is one of the traditional nesting sites located in the heart of Everglades National Park and is seasonally closed to protect the endangered Wood Stork and all nesting birds from human disturbance. Every winter "dry season," wading birds throughout the Everglades gather at traditional (and new) nesting sites in preparation for nest building. They form nesting colonies that often contain hundreds and even thousands of nesting birds. Species nesting at Paurotis Pond include the Great Egret (Ardea alba), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), Tri-colored Heron (Egretta tricolor), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), and Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga). However, one nesting species in particular really stands out among the others: the federally endangered Wood Stork (Mycteria americana). In recent years, Paurotis Pond has been the nesting site for approximately 400 pairs of nesting Wood Storks.

  • Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond is located 24 miles from the main park entrance in Homestead. It is one of the traditional nesting sites located in the heart of Everglades National Park and is seasonally closed to protect the endangered Wood Stork and all nesting birds from human disturbance. Every winter "dry season," wading birds throughout the Everglades gather at traditional (and new) nesting sites in preparation for nest building. They form nesting colonies that often contain hundreds and even thousands of nesting birds. Species nesting at Paurotis Pond include the Great Egret (Ardea alba), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), Tri-colored Heron (Egretta tricolor), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), and Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga). However, one nesting species in particular really stands out among the others: the federally endangered Wood Stork (Mycteria americana). In recent years, Paurotis Pond has been the nesting site for approximately 400 pairs of nesting Wood Storks.

  • Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond is located 24 miles from the main park entrance in Homestead. It is one of the traditional nesting sites located in the heart of Everglades National Park and is seasonally closed to protect the endangered Wood Stork and all nesting birds from human disturbance. Every winter "dry season," wading birds throughout the Everglades gather at traditional (and new) nesting sites in preparation for nest building. They form nesting colonies that often contain hundreds and even thousands of nesting birds. Species nesting at Paurotis Pond include the Great Egret (Ardea alba), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), Tri-colored Heron (Egretta tricolor), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), and Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga). However, one nesting species in particular really stands out among the others: the federally endangered Wood Stork (Mycteria americana). In recent years, Paurotis Pond has been the nesting site for approximately 400 pairs of nesting Wood Storks.

  • Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond is located 24 miles from the main park entrance in Homestead. It is one of the traditional nesting sites located in the heart of Everglades National Park and is seasonally closed to protect the endangered Wood Stork and all nesting birds from human disturbance. Every winter "dry season," wading birds throughout the Everglades gather at traditional (and new) nesting sites in preparation for nest building. They form nesting colonies that often contain hundreds and even thousands of nesting birds. Species nesting at Paurotis Pond include the Great Egret (Ardea alba), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), Tri-colored Heron (Egretta tricolor), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), and Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga). However, one nesting species in particular really stands out among the others: the federally endangered Wood Stork (Mycteria americana). In recent years, Paurotis Pond has been the nesting site for approximately 400 pairs of nesting Wood Storks.

  • Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond is located 24 miles from the main park entrance in Homestead. It is one of the traditional nesting sites located in the heart of Everglades National Park and is seasonally closed to protect the endangered Wood Stork and all nesting birds from human disturbance. Every winter "dry season," wading birds throughout the Everglades gather at traditional (and new) nesting sites in preparation for nest building. They form nesting colonies that often contain hundreds and even thousands of nesting birds. Species nesting at Paurotis Pond include the Great Egret (Ardea alba), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), Tri-colored Heron (Egretta tricolor), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), and Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga). However, one nesting species in particular really stands out among the others: the federally endangered Wood Stork (Mycteria americana). In recent years, Paurotis Pond has been the nesting site for approximately 400 pairs of nesting Wood Storks.

  • Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond is located 24 miles from the main park entrance in Homestead. It is one of the traditional nesting sites located in the heart of Everglades National Park and is seasonally closed to protect the endangered Wood Stork and all nesting birds from human disturbance. Every winter "dry season," wading birds throughout the Everglades gather at traditional (and new) nesting sites in preparation for nest building. They form nesting colonies that often contain hundreds and even thousands of nesting birds. Species nesting at Paurotis Pond include the Great Egret (Ardea alba), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), Tri-colored Heron (Egretta tricolor), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), and Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga). However, one nesting species in particular really stands out among the others: the federally endangered Wood Stork (Mycteria americana). In recent years, Paurotis Pond has been the nesting site for approximately 400 pairs of nesting Wood Storks.

  • Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond is located 24 miles from the main park entrance in Homestead. It is one of the traditional nesting sites located in the heart of Everglades National Park and is seasonally closed to protect the endangered Wood Stork and all nesting birds from human disturbance. Every winter "dry season," wading birds throughout the Everglades gather at traditional (and new) nesting sites in preparation for nest building. They form nesting colonies that often contain hundreds and even thousands of nesting birds. Species nesting at Paurotis Pond include the Great Egret (Ardea alba), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), Tri-colored Heron (Egretta tricolor), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), and Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga). However, one nesting species in particular really stands out among the others: the federally endangered Wood Stork (Mycteria americana). In recent years, Paurotis Pond has been the nesting site for approximately 400 pairs of nesting Wood Storks.

  • American Crow

    American Crow

    American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

  • Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond is located 24 miles from the main park entrance in Homestead. It is one of the traditional nesting sites located in the heart of Everglades National Park and is seasonally closed to protect the endangered Wood Stork and all nesting birds from human disturbance. Every winter "dry season," wading birds throughout the Everglades gather at traditional (and new) nesting sites in preparation for nest building. They form nesting colonies that often contain hundreds and even thousands of nesting birds. Species nesting at Paurotis Pond include the Great Egret (Ardea alba), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), Tri-colored Heron (Egretta tricolor), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), and Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga). However, one nesting species in particular really stands out among the others: the federally endangered Wood Stork (Mycteria americana). In recent years, Paurotis Pond has been the nesting site for approximately 400 pairs of nesting Wood Storks.

  • Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond is located 24 miles from the main park entrance in Homestead. It is one of the traditional nesting sites located in the heart of Everglades National Park and is seasonally closed to protect the endangered Wood Stork and all nesting birds from human disturbance. Every winter "dry season," wading birds throughout the Everglades gather at traditional (and new) nesting sites in preparation for nest building. They form nesting colonies that often contain hundreds and even thousands of nesting birds. Species nesting at Paurotis Pond include the Great Egret (Ardea alba), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), Tri-colored Heron (Egretta tricolor), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), and Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga). However, one nesting species in particular really stands out among the others: the federally endangered Wood Stork (Mycteria americana). In recent years, Paurotis Pond has been the nesting site for approximately 400 pairs of nesting Wood Storks.

  • Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond

    Paurotis Pond is located 24 miles from the main park entrance in Homestead. It is one of the traditional nesting sites located in the heart of Everglades National Park and is seasonally closed to protect the endangered Wood Stork and all nesting birds from human disturbance. Every winter "dry season," wading birds throughout the Everglades gather at traditional (and new) nesting sites in preparation for nest building. They form nesting colonies that often contain hundreds and even thousands of nesting birds. Species nesting at Paurotis Pond include the Great Egret (Ardea alba), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), Tri-colored Heron (Egretta tricolor), Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea), Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), and Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga). However, one nesting species in particular really stands out among the others: the federally endangered Wood Stork (Mycteria americana). In recent years, Paurotis Pond has been the nesting site for approximately 400 pairs of nesting Wood Storks.

  • American Crow

    American Crow

    American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

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