Audubon Everglades Science Center research materials

Audubon's Everglades Science Center was established in 1939 by ornithologist Robert Porter Allen. The organization is responsible for research and conservation efforts of the widlife and habitat of the Florida Everglades. Studies by this institution frequently focus on bird life and the balance of the ecosystem, as evidenced by the following three focus areas of this collection:

I. White-crowned Pigeon (WCP): The White-crowned Pigeon is listed as Threatened in the state of Florida. Breeding populations had declined by the 1980s, concurrent with increased development of upland hammock habitat in the Florida Keys. A large variety of tree species in Keys hardwood hammocks produce the small fruits that pigeons feed on. Audubon researchers studied the relationship between White-crowned Pigeon nesting ecology and the fruiting phenology of their food sources from 1986 to 1989. Based largely on the results of this study, the state of Florida purchased many of the remaining larger tracts of undeveloped Keys hammocks to protect and preserve this habitat for White-crowns as well as other Keys resident and migratory species. II. Systematic Reconnaissance Flights for wading bird populations in the Water Conservation Areas of the Everglades (SRF): The Everglades was drastically altered in size and function during much of the twentieth century. Wading bird populations reacted strongly to these changes, with breeding numbers decreasing by 90% by the 1980s. Further, the center of the remaining breeding population had moved to the interior Everglades, an area of highly managed hydrology, which is impounded within the Water Conservation Areas. Audubon researchers studied populations of foraging wading birds from 1985-1994 in order to determine the relationships between hydrologic patterns and the distribution and abundance of wading birds. Modeling of these distributions relative to water levels can help water managers make better informed decisions, which should benefit wading bird breeding success. III. Small Heron Project (WMD): By the 1980s breeding populations of wading birds in the Everglades had decreased by 90% as compared to numbers in the 1930s. Audubon researchers undertook a four year study (1986-1989) in order to investigate the nesting biology and foraging habitat requirements of colonies of small herons (Egretta spp.). The findings were examined in the context of how water levels were effecting wading birds in the lower Everglades. Recommendations were made in order to improve water management timing and delivery to Everglades National Park.