Pelican Island Audubon Society

Dr. Jerry Lorenz studies Roseate Spoonbill while working with staff and volunteers to collect nesting information across Florida Bay. Data analyses show shifts in nesting distribution due to habitat destruction in the Keys. Recently nesting success has decreased and nest distributions have moved westward due to poorly timed water releases and high water conditions in the spoonbills’ foraging habitats of the Everglades. Lorenz has demonstrated how spoonbills are sensitive to changes in the quantity and quality of their foraging habitat, and the “pinks” may soon be added as an “indicator species” to the Everglades Restoration Plan.