Florida is a destination state for anyone with a love of birds. If you have a list of species you want to see in your lifetime, Florida is renowned for its avian riches. Florida is home to more than 300 parks, many of which promise plenty of great birding. If you’re on the lookout for shorebirds, or colorful songbirds spending the winter, plan your trip.
Make a stop at the Florida Keys in the month of April to catch sight of our feathered friends returning from the tropics. There’s also the Everglades, along with various state parks, sanctuaries and refuges.
Practice safe bird feeding in Florida
However, in Florida, it’s especially important to be safety-minded when feeding your backyard friends.
First, confirm that feeding the birds is allowed in your area. Federal, state and even neighborhood association laws might affect whether feeding birds is allowed, so do your homework and make sure you’re on the up and up.
Second, the heat and humidity of Florida create the perfect conditions for mold growth. Keeping feeders clean and disinfected is key to keeping birds safe. Especially after hot or wet weather, you’ll want to discard the old seed and give the feeder a good scrubbing. After cleaning with hot soapy water and a bristle brush, disinfect with a 10% bleach solution. Finally, rinse and allow to dry before refilling with fresh, dry seed.
Top 40 backyard birds in Florida
How many of these birds visited your backyard? Take a look at this list, and click through to read up on your favorite species. The following list is compiled from Project Feederwatch, and it’s based on the observations of citizen birders in Florida from November 2020 through April 2021.
- Northern Cardinal
- Mourning Dove
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Blue Jay
- Tufted Titmouse
- Northern Mockingbird
- Carolina Wren
- Carolina Chickadee
- American Goldfinch
- House Finch
- Downy Woodpecker
- Common Grackle
- Chipping Sparrow
- Gray Catbird
- Pine Warbler
- Palm Warbler
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- American Crow
- Brown Thrasher
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Painted Bunting
- Eastern Phoebe
- Eastern Bluebird
- White-winged Dove
- American Robin
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Brown-headed Cowbird
- Eurasian-collared Dove
- Common Ground Dove
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Yellow-throated Warbler
- Baltimore Oriole
- Purple Finch
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Black-and-White Warbler
- House Sparrow
- Orange-crowned Warbler
- Cedar Waxwing
- Indigo Bunting
- Eastern Towhee
If you’re interested in attracting any of these birds to your feeder, the best way to start is by using a high-quality, premium birdseed. Lyric Supreme Wild Bird Mix contains many different seeds, a variety of nuts, sunflower kernels and cracked corn perfect for enticing a wide range of birds to come in for a landing.