United States Ramsar wetland
Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge
305 bird species recorded; the most in January, from March to April and in October.
Unknown author Unknown author or not provided · Public domain
This month here
218 species in January.212 species in February.219 species in March.225 species in April.185 species in May.131 species in June.128 species in July.156 species in August.192 species in September.230 species in October.207 species in November.212 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
NT
NT
NT
NT
VUVU
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NTNTNT
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
305 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 305Speciesrecorded more than once
- 180Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 12ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 290,790Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 16Raptors
- 4Owls
- 31Waders
- 42Gulls & seabirds
- 35Ducks & geese
- 21Herons, ibises & grebes
- 2Storks & cranes
- 119Songbirds
- 35Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 305 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors16 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Black VultureCoragyps atratus
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Swallow-tailed KiteElanoides forficatus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
- Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Short-tailed HawkButeo brachyurus
- Crested CaracaraCaracara plancus
- Snail KiteRostrhamus sociabilis
Owls4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eastern Screech-OwlMegascops asio
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
- Barred OwlStrix varia
- American Barn OwlTyto furcata
Waders31 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- American OystercatcherHaematopus palliatus
- Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusVU
- Purple SandpiperCalidris maritima
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- Long-billed dowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusNT
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Western SandpiperCalidris mauri
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Piping PloverCharadrius melodusNT
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
- Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusNT
- American AvocetRecurvirostra americana
- Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaVU
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Grey (Red) PhalaropePhalaropus fulicarius
Gulls & seabirds42 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Royal TernThalasseus maximus
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
- Black SkimmerRynchops niger
- Magnificent FrigatebirdFregata magnificens
- Forster's TernSterna forsteri
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Least TernSternula antillarum
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Anous stolidusAnous stolidus
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Sabine's GullXema sabini
- Wilson's Storm-PetrelOceanites oceanicus
- Brown BoobySula leucogaster
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Great shearwaterPuffinus gravis
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Leach's Storm PetrelOceanodroma leucorhoaVU
- Sooty shearwaterPuffinus griseus
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- RazorbillAlca torda
- Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcan
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Scopoli's ShearwaterCalonectris diomedea
- Bridled TernOnychoprion anaethetus
- Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
- Band-rumped Storm PetrelOceanodroma castro
- Audubon's ShearwaterPuffinus lherminieri
- Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
- Sooty TernOnychoprion fuscatus
- Masked BoobySula dactylatra
- Long-tailed SkuaStercorarius longicaudus
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
Ducks & geese35 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Mottled DuckAnas fulvigula
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
- American ScoterMelanitta americanaNT
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- Black-bellied Whistling DuckDendrocygna autumnalis
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- White-cheeked PintailAnas bahamensis
- BuffleheadBucephala albeola
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Harlequin DuckHistrionicus histrionicus
- Swan GooseAnser cygnoides
- Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillata
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- RedheadAythya americana
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Common EiderSomateria mollissimaNT
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Brent GooseBranta bernicla
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- White-winged ScoterMelanitta deglandi
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- Fulvous Whistling-duckDendrocygna bicolor
Herons, ibises & grebes21 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis
- White IbisEudocimus albus
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- Tricolored HeronEgretta tricolor
- AnhingaAnhinga anhinga
- American White PelicanPelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Roseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajaja
- Reddish EgretEgretta rufescensNT
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Yellow-crowned Night-HeronNyctanassa violacea
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
- American BitternBotaurus lentiginosus
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
Storks & cranes2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Wood StorkMycteria americana
- Sandhill CraneGrus canadensis
Songbirds119 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
- Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
- Fish CrowCorvus ossifragus
- Boat-tailed GrackleQuiscalus major
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaNT
- Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarum
- Grey CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
- Myrtle WarblerSetophaga coronata
- Blue-gray GnatcatcherPolioptila caerulea
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Prairie WarblerSetophaga discolor
- Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
- Eastern phoebeSayornis phoebe
- Northern ParulaSetophaga americana
- Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta varia
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- Cape May WarblerSetophaga tigrina
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- Carolina WrenThryothorus ludovicianus
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapilla
- Yellow-throated WarblerSetophaga dominica
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescens
- White-eyed VireoVireo griseus
- Florida Scrub JayAphelocoma coerulescensVU
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianusNT
- Northern House WrenTroglodytes aedon
- Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
- Pine WarblerSetophaga pinus
- Blackpoll WarblerSetophaga striataNT
- Blue-headed VireoVireo solitarius
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celata
- Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
- Painted BuntingPasserina ciris
- American GoldfinchSpinus tristis
- Toxostoma rufumToxostoma rufum
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- Worm-eating WarblerHelmitheros vermivorum
- Agelaius phoeniceusAgelaius phoeniceus
- Gray KingbirdTyrannus dominicensis
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusNT
- Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnolia
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Eastern Wood-PeweeContopus virens
- Western SpindalisSpindalis zena
- House finchHaemorhous mexicanus
- Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
- Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
- Bicknell’s thrushCatharus bicknelliVU
- Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrina
- Tufted TitmouseBaeolophus bicolor
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbula
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
- Bay-breasted WarblerSetophaga castanea
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Black-whiskered VireoVireo altiloquus
- Blue GrosbeakPasserina caerulea
- Louisiana WaterthrushParkesia motacilla
- Black-throated Green WarblerSetophaga virens
- Yellow-throated VireoVireo flavifrons
- Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- Townsend's WarblerSetophaga townsendi
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Fork-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus savana
- Hooded WarblerSetophaga citrina
- Grey-cheeked ThrushCatharus minimus
- Connecticut WarblerOporornis agilis
- Blackburnian WarblerSetophaga fusca
- Kirtland's WarblerSetophaga kirtlandiiNT
- Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapilla
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Bachman's SparrowPeucaea aestivalisNT
- Eastern MeadowlarkSturnella magnaNT
- Swainson's warblerLimnothlypis swainsonii
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanica
- Brown-crested FlycatcherMyiarchus tyrannulus
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
- Blue-winged warblerVermivora cyanoptera
- Brown-headed NuthatchSitta pusilla
- Philadelphia VireoVireo philadelphicus
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- White-crowned sparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- Seaside SparrowAmmospiza maritima
- Grass WrenCistothorus platensis
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- Buff-bellied PipitAnthus rubescens
- Nelson's SparrowAmmospiza nelsoni
- Acadian FlycatcherEmpidonax virescens
- Ash-throated FlycatcherMyiarchus cinerascens
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Kentucky WarblerGeothlypis formosa
- Red-legged HoneycreeperCyanerpes cyaneus
- Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallida
- Cerulean WarblerSetophaga ceruleaNT
- Golden-winged WarblerVermivora chrysopteraNT
- Canada warblerCardellina canadensis
- Cave SwallowPetrochelidon fulva
- Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalis
- Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusilla
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
Other birds35 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Tsįįłkaałii bitłʼaaʼ halchíʼígííMelanerpes carolinus
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Common Ground-DoveColumbina passerina
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagicaVU
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- LimpkinAramus guarauna
- American CootFulica americana
- Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
- White-winged DoveZenaida asiatica
- Yellow-shafted FlickerColaptes auratus
- Yellow-billed CuckooCoccyzus americanus
- Clapper RailRallus crepitans
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Chuck-will's-widowAntrostomus carolinensisNT
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Indian PeafowlPavo cristatus
- Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus
- Virginia RailRallus limicola
- Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalus
- Rallus elegansRallus elegans
- Colinus virginianusColinus virginianus
- Leuconotopicus borealisLeuconotopicus borealis
- White-crowned PigeonPatagioenas leucocephalaNT
- Monk ParakeetMyiopsitta monachus
- Eastern Whip-poor-willAntrostomus vociferusNT
- Aratinga acuticaudataAratinga acuticaudata
- BudgerigarMelopsittacus undulatus
- Purple GallinulePorphyrio martinica
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in January, from March to April and in October.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan21°/14°60 mm
- Feb23°/15°56 mm
- Mar24°/16°65 mm
- Apr27°/19°62 mm
- May29°/22°112 mm
- Jun30°/24°214 mm
- Jul30°/25°184 mm
- Aug30°/25°204 mm
- Sep29°/24°182 mm
- Oct27°/22°116 mm
- Nov24°/18°54 mm
- Dec23°/16°68 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge.
United States National Wildlife Refuge in Florida
Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in United States.
305 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 290,790 open records.
The most recorded are the Osprey, the Brown Pelican and the White Ibis.
66 species come for the summer, 101 for the winter and 13 only pass through.
12 are threatened worldwide, including Grey Plover, Lesser yellowlegs and Florida Scrub Jay.
The most species are recorded in January, from March to April and in October.
Get there and watch
- Official informationAccess, hours and rules from those who manage the place.Official site↗
- Whispering Palmscampsite · 3.4 km · 9 within 10 km
- Best Western Plus Sebastian Hotel & Suitesplace to stay · 3.8 km · 14 within 10 km
- Sebastiannearest town · 3.0 km in a straight line
- Vero Beach Regional Airport (VRB)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 17 km in a straight lineCar hire at MLB airport (Melbourne)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 1visitor centres within 6 km
- 6viewpoints within 5 km
- 68car parks within 3 km
- 17restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 9campsites within 10 kmWhispering Palms, Vero Beach Kamp, Mullet Camp and 6 more
- 14places to stay within 10 kmBest Western Plus Sebastian Hotel & Suites, Davis House Inn, The Inn and 11 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Islandyasthe islandHutchinson Island134 km²
Coastya1 beaches within 10 kmWabasso Beach · 6.2 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge
United States
- 89Birdyas Score
- 305Species
- 180Migrants
- 12Threatened
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
United States · 197 km
- 80Birdyas Score
- 259Species
- 143Migrants
- 6Threatened
Everglades National Park
United States · 279 km
- 63Birdyas Score
- 155Species
- 69Migrants
- 3Threatened
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
United States · 365 km
- 73Birdyas Score
- 186Species
- 106Migrants
- 4Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q1841445) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 290,790 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Islandyas, Coastya |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit 
mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit