Peaches the Tampa Bay flamingo inspires push to change Florida's state bird
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Peaches being released to the wild. Photo: Courtesy of Linda Chaney
Peaches the flamingo whipped Tampa Bay into a fervor when it arrived here in September after Hurricane Idalia, inspiring countless headlines, photos and frantic drives around Fort De Soto hoping to catch sight of its pink feathers.
Yes, and: A pair of bills filed in the Florida Legislature could enshrine Peaches' legacy in state law.
Driving the news: St. Pete Beach Rep. Linda Chaney told Axios the excitement around Peaches inspired her to file House Bill 753 last week to designate the American Flamingo as Florida's state bird. A companion bill was filed in the Senate this week.
- The change would push aside the mockingbird, which has held the state bird title since 1927.
Why it matters: The proposal, if approved, would mark a "refresh of Florida's image," Chaney, a Republican, told Axios, and make official what many Floridians feel is already our most iconic bird.
What they're saying: "If you ask somebody to identify a bird with Florida, I think a flamingo would be top of the list," Chaney said, adding that the bird is featured in the logo for the Florida Lottery and greets travelers at the Tampa International Airport.
- The fanfare around Peaches, she said, just bolsters that point. "That got such attention from the public and so much support that it made me think that that is a great mascot for the state of Florida."
The other side: Changing the state bird, a decades-old debate in Florida, has proved surprisingly political.
Flashback: Chaney's legislative aide, Tristan Sommer, helped rescue Peaches when it was spotted struggling in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Madeira Beach.
- The bird was taken to Seaside Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores for rehabilitation and later released back to the wild with a tracking device on its leg, becoming only the second flamingo to be tracked in the U.S.
Context: Until recently, flamingo sightings in the states were thought to be from Cuba or the Yucatán Peninsula.
Yes, but: Researchers with the Florida Flamingos Working Group determined in 2018 that the birds are native to Florida. They disappeared at the turn of the century due to plume hunting and, while they show up on occasion, the birds haven't repopulated the Sunshine State since.
- Soon, researchers began discussing how to make the flamingo the state bird to bolster conservation efforts, Steven Whitfield, a former conservationist at Zoo Miami, told Axios.
What they're saying: "It's time to put away our binoculars and officially name the American flamingo Florida's state bird," biologist Ruscena Wiederholt, a member of the working group, wrote in an op-ed for the Orlando Sentinel. "What better way to encourage public support for the recovery of this quintessential Floridian feathered friend?
The intrigue: Has Peaches, the bird that inspired Chaney's push to make flamingos the state's official avian icon, stuck around Florida?
- Yes, Frank Ridgley, Zoo Miami's conservation and veterinary services manager, told Axios.
- While he didn't want to share a specific location to protect the bird, Peaches' last location was here in the Sunshine State.
A sign perhaps? We'll see.