Experts say it is time to save American flamingos
MIAMI (AP) — The American Flamingo has been such an iconic image that has been used to represent Florida for so long — from the Greetings From Florida postcards of the last century to the opening credits of "Miami Vice" in the mid-1980s — one might be excused for thinking the birds are classified as native species and protected.
But that isn't the case of the only flamingo species native to the United States.
American Flamingos have never been considered as a focal species for conservation, management or monitoring in Florida, according to a group of researchers, including from Zoo Miami, Cape Florida Banding Station and Big Cypress National Preserve. Zoo Miami's Steven Whitfield led the research.