Lucky Limpkin Sighting
I watched him feed for ten minutes before shooting him
No gun. My camera. The Limpkin is too beautiful a bird to harm. The day I spotted him peacefully feeding in a Florida marsh, he was almost too beautiful to photograph. I watched him for ten minutes as he delicately walked through the grass, looking for a breakfast of freshwater snails.
At first, I wasn’t sure whether he was a juvenile Ibis or a Limpkin. The two have similar colorations. Only upon a closer look, I noticed that his breast was not white. His beak was also not as curved as a juvenile Ibis.
I didn’t know much about the Limpkin and wondered why I saw so few of them. The answer is that they were hunted to near extinction in the 20th century.
Fortunately, legal protections have helped Limpkins stage a comeback. That revival, however, may be short-lived. Climate change and continuing development in Florida threaten the birds. As temperatures rise, spring heatwaves can kill young Limpkin before they leave their nest. Heavy rains also can flood nests and prevent parents from feeding Limpkin chicks.
Further development in Florida, including increased farming, can destroy Limpkin habitat.
All told, Florida’s Limpkin population needs our help.
