125 Flamingos Invade Everglades: Helicopters, Bayou, and Plume Trader Ghosts
Flamingos Everglades 125—Dr. Mark Cook’s bird survey in Florida Bay morphed into a high-altitude flamingo chase, as the largest flock in a decade scattered before his helicopter. Why are flamingos returning to Florida, and do they nest here? “It’s almost impossible not to spook a large group of flamingos from a helicopter,” Cook admitted after snapping the rare sight.
After Cook’s pink runway moment in Garfield Bight, he suspects a prior band of 30 flamingos joined the mega-flock, raising the question: are these native returns or mere hurricane migrants? How far can flamingos fly in a day, and are they reclaiming old territory? Picture South Florida’s wading bird census derailed by a technicolor stampede of feathered escape artists.
In 2023, flamingos scattered from Mexico to Lake Michigan via hurricane, but in 2025, 125 of them turned Florida Bay into a fleeting, neon-tinged migration spectacle.
