Best Times to See Birds

Most birds you can see year round! But Mother Nature makes no guarantees. Spotting wild animals makes each airboat tour exciting!

An airboat ride takes you through both mangrove and open grass ecosystems, so you have a good chance of seeing birds. The best time to see birds is in the morning or late afternoon, but some birds feed all day. The Everglades is home to over 350 species of birds! Some are more likely to appear on an airboat tour than others:

Year-Round Birds

Anhinga
Little Blue Heron
Gray Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Pelican
Ibis
Sandpiper
Red Shoulder Hawk
Barred Owl
Snowy Egret
Tri-Colored Heron
Roseate Spoonbill

Migratory Birds

Green Heron
Blue Heron

The Dry Season (November – May)

During the dry season the water level drops in the prairies, and fish get trapped in shallow water. This creates a fish buffet for the birds! It’s ideal to view this spectacle from an airboat, which can travel over shallow water where other boats can’t go.

The Rainy Season (June – October)

The rainy season is also great for birding because newly hatched birds are just learning to catch fish and fly.