Birds on Marco Island Archives

Burrowing Owls on Marco Island

Teresa Luber Marco Island, Marco Island Wildlife, Things to See and Do in Marco Island 05/31/201909/11/2025Bird Watching on Marco Island, Birds on Marco Island, Burrowing Owls on Marco Island, Marco Island Birds

Home » Birds on Marco Island

Key Takeaways

Marco Island is famous for its beautiful beaches and unique wildlife, particularly the Burrowing Owls.
Residents promote Burrowing Owl populations with help from the Burrowing Owl Society, ensuring protected nesting.
These small, sandy-colored owls live in burrows that they dig or take from other animals, hunting insects and rodents.
Burrowing Owls display interesting behaviors, such as storing food and attracting insects to their nests with dung.
They have a distinct lifestyle, hunting during the day and night, often living in close colonies and showing monogamous tendencies.

Marco Island is known for its beautiful beaches. However, one thing that makes the island really special is its wildlife. One little creature is especially cute, and it is fairly easy to spot one on the island.

Many residents on Marco Island participate in encouraging the burrowing owl population. The Burrowing Owl Society provides starter packs for homeowners who want to encourage owls to nest on their property. The owls are protected when actively nesting. Nests are inspected regularly.

Owls are unmistakable birds, and that goes double for a long-legged owl that hunts on the ground during the day. Burrowing Owls are small, sandy-colored owls with bright-yellow eyes. They live underground in burrows they’ve dug themselves or taken over from a ground squirrel or tortoise. The owls live in grasslands, deserts, and other open habitats. They hunt mainly insects and rodents. Their numbers have declined sharply. This decline is due to human alteration of their habitat and the decline of ground squirrels.

Cool Facts About Burrowing Owls

Unlike most owls in which the female is larger than the male, the sexes of the Burrowing Owl are the same size.

Burrowing Owls often stow extra food to ensure an adequate supply during incubation and brooding. When food is plentiful, the birds’ underground larders can reach enormous sizes.

In the absence of suitable homes created by ground squirrels or other burrowing animals, Burrowing Owls have been known to nest in piles of PVC pipe unintentionally provided by humans. Conservationists make use of the owls’ adaptability. They supply artificial burrows made of buckets, pipes, tubing, and other human-made materials.

Burrowing Owls have a higher tolerance for carbon dioxide than other birds. They spend long periods underground, where the gas can accumulate to higher levels than found above ground.

Nests of Burrowing Owls

Before laying eggs, Burrowing Owls carpet the entrances to their homes with animal dung, which attracts dung beetles and other insects that the owls then catch and eat. They may also collect bottle caps, metal foil, cigarette butts, paper scraps, and other bits of trash at the entrance. This can signify that the burrow is occupied.

The nest burrow can be several yards long and is usually less than 3 feet deep. Its size depends on the mammal that originally excavated it. Burrows tend to make numerous twists and turns, with a mound of dirt at the entrance and an opening at least 4–6 inches wide. The owls often line their burrow with livestock manure, sometimes with feathers, grass, or other materials. When owls dig their own burrows, the process may take several days. It takes them less time to prepare the burrow for nesting when they use an existing burrow.

Lifestyle of a Burrowing Owl

Burrowing Owls hunt at all hours of the day and night. Usually staying close to the ground, they fly, hover, walk, or run, seizing prey in their talons. Between forays for food, they sleep on dirt mounds at their burrow entrances or on depressions in the ground.

Disturbed owls bob jerkily up and down, as do hunting owls pinpointing prey. They are mostly monogamous and breed close together in loose colonies. Females stay in or near the nest burrow until chicks fledge. Males tend to stand guard at a nearby burrow or perch. Males defend their territories against other males.

They do this by vocalizing, displaying in a weaving crouch with feathers fluffed, or chasing and attacking with outstretched talons. Courting adults—mainly males—display by circling overhead. They also fly dozens of feet into the air, hover for a few seconds, and then rapidly descend. Pairs vocalize, rub bills, and preen, with the male calling and presenting food to the female. Young owls play-hunt by jumping on each other, on prey brought by their parents, and on dung around the burrow.
Credit: The Cornell Lab of Omithology – All About Birds

Visit our website https://www.seamarcondo.com for more information on Sea Mar Condo, Marco Island, FL, and the island’s wildlife. We want to make your vacation on Marco Island a trip of a lifetime!

Briggs Nature Center at Rookery Bay – Things to Do

Teresa Luber Marco Island Activities and Sports, Marco Island Day Trips and Tours, Things to See and Do in Marco Island 06/06/201809/11/2025Bird Watching on Marco Island, Birds on Marco Island, Briggs Nature Center, Hiking Trails Marco Island, Marco Island Kayaking

Home » Birds on Marco Island

Key Takeaways

Briggs Nature Center offers 3 miles of trails, including a ½-mile boardwalk, for exploring diverse habitats.
Wildlife sightings include bald eagles, snakes, and otters, making it an excellent spot for nature enthusiasts.
Kayak and canoe rentals are available for navigating the scenic Gordon River and mangroves.
The Boardwalk operates year-round, with guided tours and volunteer assistance for wildlife spotting.
Briggs Nature Center is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail and located in Naples, FL.

Trails

Briggs Nature Center is located between Marco Island and Naples. It is part of the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. The nature center features a total of 3 miles of easy trails, including a ½-mile boardwalk. Guests are able to explore the area’s various habitats. The estuary is a natural nursery for fish, shellfish, and crustaceans. It is also home to many nesting birds.

In addition to the boardwalk, there are two other short trails that offer views of Rookery Bay. Wildlife such as bald eagles, snakes, bob-cats, river otters, hawks, and woodpeckers are quite commonly seen by visitors to the nature center.

Briggs Boardwalk is a half-mile self-directed nature trail. It passes through five unique habitats from scrub to brackish ponds. This walk is kid friendly. This is a great place for a family to enjoy a short, easy, free walk while experiencing the Florida marshes and wildlife.

Kayaking/Canoeing

In addition to the nature trails at Briggs Nature Center, kayak and canoe rentals are also available. This allows guests to navigate the Gordon River, mangrove tree islands, and tunnels. This is a great way to see birds and other wildlife in the area from the water.

Kayaking the mangroves — Kayaking in Briggs Nature Center

The Boardwalk is open year-round from dawn to dusk. Conservancy volunteers are on the boardwalk seven days a week from January through April, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Schedules may change in inclement weather and on holidays. Guided tours take place at 10 a.m. daily from January through March.

Signs along the walk describe the flora and fauna in each community. Volunteers are available to help visitors spot and identify plants, birds and other animals.

The walk is a Great Florida Birding Trail site.

Briggs Nature Center
Rookery Bay in Naples
401 Shell Island Road, Naples, FL
(239) 337-3332

To see other recommended activities near Marco Island, FL, visit https://seamarcondo.com

Exploring the Habitat of the Roseate Spoonbill

Teresa Luber Marco Island, Marco Island Wildlife 04/12/201809/11/2025Birds on Marco Island, Marco Island Birds, Roseate Spoonbill, Sea Mar Condo

Home » Birds on Marco Island

Key Takeaways

The Roseate Spoonbill is a striking wading bird, known for its pink plumage and unique spoon-shaped bill.
They nest in colonies, with both parents sharing incubation duties and caring for the young after hatching.
Roseate Spoonbills feed in shallow waters, eating minnows, small crustaceans, and insects, usually in the early morning or evening.
This bird typically breeds at three years old and uses elaborate courtship displays to attract a mate.
In the wild, Roseate Spoonbills can live up to 10 years, while in human care they may live up to 15 years.

When I am in the Marco Island, 10,000 Islands/Everglades area, I am always on the lookout for the roseate spoonbill. It is such an intriguing, beautiful bird. It is definite among my favorite as is the pelican and the eagle. Seeing the beautiful birds around Marco Island is just a bonus to my beach trip!

Roseate spoonbills nest in mixed colonies in mangroves or trees on the coast. The female builds the nest while the male retrieves the nesting materials. The female lays up to three whitish-colored eggs. Both adults incubate the eggs for up to 24 days. The young remain in the nest for approximately 35-42 days. They are fed by both adults. Critical Wildlife Areas protect some of Florida’s most vulnerable wildlife, including the state-threatened roseate spoonbill, from human disturbance during important life stages such as breeding and nesting.

Bizarre But Beautiful

Gorgeous at a distance and bizarre up close is the Roseate Spoonbill. Locally common in coastal Florida, Texas, and southwest Louisiana, they are usually in small flocks, often associating with other waders. Spoonbills feed in shallow waters, walking forward slowly while they swing their heads from side to side, sifting the muck with their wide flat bills.

The roseate spoonbill is a large wading bird known for its pink plumage and distinctive spoon-shaped bill. Its upper neck and back are colored white, while the wings and feathers underneath display the more recognizable light shade of pink. The wings and tail coverts are deep red, along with the legs and the iris of the eyes. Part of the spoonbill’s head is a distinct yellow-green. When they are young, the birds are duller in appearance, brightening as they mature.

Reaching a height of up to 2.5 feet, the roseate spoonbill’s wingspan can stretch 1.5 times as wide, reaching up to 4 feet.

Roseate Spoonbill; Photo Credit: Gary Roach

Yes, Spoonbills are on Marco Island

In the United States, the roseate spoonbill can be found in southern Florida (yes, in Marco Island), coastal Texas and southwestern Louisiana. Their breeding range extends south from Florida through the Greater Antilles to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. Roseate spoonbills usually live in marsh-like areas and mangroves.

While feeding, spoonbills utter a low, guttural sound. They are also known to call during breeding displays and when flying.

Using its spoon-like bill to scoop prey up from shallow water, the roseate spoonbill’s diet typically includes minnows, small crustaceans, insects and bits of plants. They feed in the early morning and evening hours in both fresh and saltwater wetlands. It is believed the roseate spoonbill receives its bright coloring from the pigments of the crustaceans that it eats.

A social bird, the roseate spoonbill often feeds, roosts and flies in formation with its species. They nest singly or in pairs, usually in trees over water and sometimes on small islands.

Nesting Habits

Typically roseate spoonbills do not breed until their third year. To attract one another, courtship displays include ritualized exchanges of nest material, dancing and clapping. Female spoonbills create deep, well-constructed nests out of sticks using materials brought to them by males. The Florida population usually nests in red and black mangroves sometimes with wood storks, while the Texas and Louisiana populations often nest on the ground in offshore island mixed colonies with gulls, terns and herons.

A female lays a clutch of one to five eggs. Both parents share incubation duties, which last about 22 to 24 days. A newly hatched chick has mostly pink skin with a sparse covering of white down. The parents feed the chick by dribbling regurgitated material into the baby’s upturned bill. After one month, the chick will begin to exercise by clambering through the branches or foliage surrounding the nest, and by six weeks, it will have developed wing feathers large enough for flight.

The roseate spoonbill sleeps standing, usually on one leg, with its head tucked beneath its back and shoulder feathers.

They can live up to 15 years in human care and an estimated 10 years in the wild.

Visit our website https://seamarcondo.com for more information on Sea Mar Condo, Marco Island, FL. We want to make your vacation on Marco Island a trip of a lifetime!

The Fascinating Behavior of the Brown Pelican

Teresa Luber Marco Island, Marco Island Wildlife 04/05/201809/11/2025Bird Watching on Marco Island, Birds on Marco Island, Marco Island Birds, Pelicans

Home » Birds on Marco Island

Key Takeaways

The Brown Pelican features an oversized bill and is known for its impressive diving skills.
Brown Pelicans primarily feed by diving into the water and can hold up to 2.6 gallons of water in their throat pouch.
These sociable birds breed in colonies and maintain monogamous relationships during the breeding season.
Once endangered due to pesticide use, Brown Pelican populations have recovered since bans on harmful chemicals like DDT.
Human activities still pose threats to pelicans, including habitat disturbance and fishing gear entanglement.

The Brown Pelican

The Brown Pelican is a has an oversized bill and can be quite elegant and comical to watch. They glide above the Gulf waters rising and falling with the waves.

Brown pelicans are impressive divers. They can circle up to 60 feet above the surface. Then, they plunge headfirst underwater in search of food.

Feeding Habits of Brown Pelicans

This magnificent bird’s trachea (windpipe) and esophagus (tube connecting throat and stomach) are located on the right side of its neck. A foraging pelican spots a fish from the air. It dives, tucking and twisting to the left to protect its trachea and esophagus from the impact. As it plunges into the water, its throat pouch expands to trap the fish. Its pouch can fill with up to 2.6 gallons of water. Pelicans usually feed above estuaries and shallow ocean waters within 12 miles of shore. These birds occasionally feed by sitting on the surface and seizing prey with their bills. This is usually when a dense school of fish is close to the surface. The water is shallow and muddy. They also steal food from other seabirds, scavenge dead animals, and eat invertebrates such as prawns.

With an awkward gait on land the pelican seems “clumsy”. However, Brown Pelicans are masterful fliers and strong swimmers. They fly to and from their fishing grounds in V-formations or lines just above the water’s surface. Pelicans usually forage during the day. They may feed at night during a full moon.

Pelicans are Highly Sociable

Highly social all year, pelicans breed in colonies of up to several thousand pairs. The male defends a nest site for up to 3 weeks until he attracts a mate. The pair is monogamous throughout the breeding season. The parents incubate their eggs with their feet. If disturbed suddenly they fly hastily, sometimes crushing their eggs. Pelicans regurgitate predigested fish onto the nest floor for their nestlings. They later switch to whole fish once the young are big enough to eat on their own. The young can fly and fend for themselves after 3 months. A young pelican takes 3–5 years of age to reach sexual maturity.

Brown Pelicans No Longer Endangered

Wildlife conservation has been very important to the Brown Pelican. They nearly disappeared from North America between the late 1950s and early 1970s, mainly due to pesticides. The pesticide endrin killed pelicans outright, while DDT contamination led to thin-shelled eggs that broke under the weight of the parents. In 1970, Brown Pelicans were federally listed as endangered. This, and the extinction of other bird species, led to a ban on DDT in 1972 and a reduction in endrin use. This allowed pelican numbers to rise. By 1985, numbers along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts had risen enough to no long be listed an endangered.

Threats From Humans

There have been strong increases in the pelican population since the 1960s, but they still face human-caused threats. Disturbance from human activity in their coastal nesting habitats cause problems. Panicked pelicans can abandon or accidentally destroy their nests. The brown pelican is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Another threat is abandoned fishing line, threatening this species along with other marine animals. It has been estimated that more than 700 pelicans die each year in Florida alone from entanglement in sport-fishing gear.

Cool Facts
*While the Brown Pelican is draining the water from its bill after a dive, sea gulls often try to steal the fish right out of its pouch.

*Pelicans incubate their eggs with the skin of their feet, standing on the eggs to keep them warm. In the mid-twentieth century the pesticide DDT caused pelicans to lay thinner eggs that cracked under the weight of incubating parents. They almost disappeared from North America during this time. In the 1960s and 1970s, pesticide regulations made it possible for pelicans to once again populate our shores.

*During a dive, the Brown Pelican tucks its head and rotates its body to the left. This maneuver is probably to cushion the trachea and esophagus—found on the right side of the neck—from the impact.

*The oldest Brown Pelican on record was 43 years old.

*Brown Pelicans live year-round in estuaries and coastal marine habitats along both the east and west coasts. On the Atlantic and Gulf coasts they breed mostly on barrier islands, natural islands in estuaries, and islands made of refuse from dredging. In Florida and southern Louisiana they primarily use mangrove islets.

*Brown Pelicans mostly eat small fish that form schools near the surface of the water—including menhaden, mullet, anchovies, herring, and sailfin mollies.

Visit our website https://seamarcondo.com for more information on Sea Mar Condo, Marco Island, FL. We want to make your vacation on Marco Island a trip of a lifetime!