BIRDS TO KNOW IN THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE
The rich diversity of Florida’s varied habitats makes it an ideal location for many birds to occupy – both residential and migratory. Florida boasts 200 breeding species and around 300 more that visit as winter residents or transients to the area. The panhandle area of Florida is no exception, providing valuable habitat to a multitude of bird species. Amongst the upland habitats in the Florida Panhandle, one can find bird-watch in habitats such as sandhill communities, long-leaf pine forests, wiregrass savannas, coastal scrub areas, pine flatwoods and mixed-hardwood communities, to name a few. Below are a few relevant species that are important to the upland habitats.
OWLS:
- Great Horned Owl (Bubo virgianus) : The largest owls in Florida, the Great Horned Owls do not build nests and instead use the vacated nests of hawks or herons. They are found in pine and hardwood forests, and feed on smaller birds, mammals, and rodents.
- Barred Owl (Strix varia) : The Barred Owl is slightly smaller than the Great Horned Owl, and is generally more common in Florida habitats. They are found in swamps, mixed hardwoods, and bottomlands, and nest in cavities and the tops of cabbage palms. They use a K selected reproductive strategy, and in mating the pair nod and bow before the male feeds the female on the nest.
Eastern Screech Owl (Otus asio) : These owls are highly secretive and are the smallest owls found in Florida. They occupy a wider variety of habitats, and can nest in tree cavities as well as nest boxes in more urban areas. They also occur in three different color phases/morphs: red, brown, and gray.
- American Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) : Although still federally listed, the American Bald Eagle has made a remarkable comeback in Florida and can be seen often in the panhandle. While they prefer to build nests in forested areas near water and mainly feed on fish, bald eagles can be seen in upland habitats as well, and will take other types of prey including carrion. They mate for life and re-use the same nest each year, sometimes building it up to reach enormous sizes.
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) : Red-shouldered hawks are common in the Florida Panhandle, and can be found in forested areas. Their diet consists of small invertebrates, but they show preference to frogs, lizards and snakes. Their call is often imitated by blue-jays as a means of protection from larger predators. 
- Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus) : One of the four species of kites in Florida, the swallow-tailed kite looks similar to the Mississippi kite also found in the panhandle, but resides more often in the upland and wetland forests. It feeds on insects and small invertebrates, and nests in tall pine and cypress trees above the forest canopy.
Southeastern American Kestrel (Falco sparverius paulus) : This subspecies of the American Kestrel is federally listed as threatened, but is known to be a resident breeder in Florida. They usually nest in tree cavities in open forests but can also occupy nest boxes in urban areas. They prey on insects and small invertebrates. They can be found in the panhandle during the colder months as a winter migrant to the area.
SCAVENGERS
- Turkey Vulture
- American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
- Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) : Bluejays are opportunistic feeders who have adapted well to habitat disturbances and can live in natural, agricultural, and urban environments. They are known for mobbing predators like owls, hawks and cats. Bluejays are nest robbers, often eating the eggs or chicks inside. They also mimic calls of larger birds (such as the red-shouldered hawk) as a defense mechanism to ward off large predators. While their diet is omnivorus, they bury acorns and nuts in the ground and are key players in forest expansion. Listen
Killdeer (Charadruis vociferous) : Unlike their shorebird relatives, these plovers prefer open fields and terrestrial habitats, and can sometimes be seen on nearby golf courses. Killdeers have adapted an interesting technique to keep their nests safe. When predators approach, the killdeer will feign an injury (known as a broken wing display) and drag itself away from the nest to distract the attention of its attacker.
- Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
- Carolina Wren (Thyrothorus ludovicianus) : Florida's largest resident wren. Like most wrens, they are highly territorial and aggressive. They are quite common in the upland habitats of the Florida Panhandle, particulary in the dense undergroeth. They feed on spiders, insects, and fruit.
- Tufted Titmouse (Parus bicolor) : A highly social species that is known to partake in mixed-species feeding flocks. Their habitat is mainly mixed forest and urban areas and they feed on spiders, insects, seeds and fruit. They forage for food by jumping from branch to branch in the trees, and often hang upside-down to check the underside of the tree branches for food. Along with the Carolina Chickadee, they are the representatives of the Paridae family.
- Pine Warbler (Dendroica pinus)
- Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
- Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) : A federally listed species, these endangered woodpeckers can be found in the long-leaf pine forests of the Panhandle. Like other woodpeckers, they're ability to make their own cavities makes them essential to the survival of "secondary cavity nesters." However, these choosy woodpeckers are the only ones to nest in live trees. They also feed primarily on insects that they find just under the bark.
- Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus varius)
- Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)
- Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)
