Birding - Naples Attractions | Naples Botanical Garden

the gardens

The abundance of nectar-rich flowers, water, seed sources and shrub cover make the gardens a great place to see a variety of birds. During the winter, ruby-throated hummingbirds can be seen regularly feeding on a variety of tubular flowers. Flocks of palm warblers are common on lawns throughout the gardens during the winter – their habit of constantly flicking their tails makes them easy to identify.

Northern mockingbirds are very common and fill the garden with their vast repertoire of songs. Other common species include: cardinals, catbirds, bluebirds, loggerhead shrikes, great-crested flycatchers, redstarts, goldfinches, ground doves, and mourning doves.

Both indigo and painted buntings have also been seen in the gardens. The Water Garden and other water features often play host to mottled ducks, little blue herons, little green herons and snowy egrets.

the lakes

Ospreys are frequently see flying over the lakes looking for a meal of fish and occasionally are attacked by bald eagles trying to steal their fish. In the winter pied-billed grebes are an almost constant presence swimming and diving in the lakes. The lake margins are home to a wide assortment of herons and egrets and occasionally a black-necked stilt is seen hunting along a lake edge.

The slender snake-like heads of the anhingas are often seen popping up from diving for fish in the lakes. It is also common to see anhingas perched on trees drying their feathers after a swim. They are often confused with another common water bird, the double-crested cormorant but the cormorant is stockier and has a slightly hooked bill.

the smith uplands trail

The uplands trail passes through three main habitats. The trail starts off as a boardwalk and crosses a remnant slough (a wooded wetland). American woodcocks have been seen poking in their long beaks into the mud. This area occasionally comes alive with songbirds during migration.

The next section passes through a pine flatwoods - here red-bellied woodpeckers are very common; downy and pileated woodpeckers are commonly seen as well. Blue jays often mimic the screech of the red-shouldered hawks that can been seen soaring overhead.

Cooper's hawks are also common raptors in the pine flatwoods. Black and white warblers may be seen climbing up and down the pine trunks. The oak scrub is a great place to see blue-gray gnatcatchers flitting amongst the oak branches and the occasional rufous-sided towhee scratching in the leaf litter.

the collier enterprises south wetlands

For most of the year this wetland supports a wide array of wading birds, raptors, water fowl and song birds. Great blue herons, little blue herons, tricolored herons, green herons, great egrets and snowy egrets are very common both in the wetland and perched in the trees around its perimeter.

White and glossy ibis are common as well and occasionally roseate spoonbills are seen wading with the ibis. The open water brings flocks of American coots, green-winged teal, canvasbacks, mallards and mottled ducks. American bitterns skulk in the dense grass and common moorhens are heard clucking along the water's edge.

Red-winged blackbirds, common and boat-tailed grackles, common yellowthroats and northern harriers are all regularly seen in the south wetland.

bird list

Please report any bird sightings at the Naples Botanical Garden of species not included in this list to education@naplesgarden.org.

Ducks,' Geese, Swans (Anatidae)

Mallard Duck
Florida Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Muscovy Duck
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal

Grebes (Podicipedidae)

Pied-billed Grebe

Pelicans (Pelicanidae)

White Pelican
Brown Pelican

Frigate birds (Fregatidae)

Magnificent Frigatebird

Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae)

Double-crested Cormorant

Darters (Anhingidae)

Anhinga

Herons (Ardeidae)

Great Blue Heron
Little Blue Heron
Tricolor Heron
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Cattle Egret
Green-backed Heron

Ibis and Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae)

White Ibis
Rosette Spoonbill
Glossy Ibis

Bitterns and Storks (Ciconiidae)

Wood Stork
American Bittern

Stilts (Recurviros tridae)

Black-Necked Stilt

Vultures (Cathartidae)

Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture

Hawks, Kites, Eagles, and Allies (Accipitridae)

Swallow-tailed Kite
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle

Falcons (Falconidae)

Peregrine Falcon
American Kestrel

Osprey (Pandionidae)

Osprey

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots (Rallidae)

Common Moorhen
American Coot
Purple Gallinule

Plover (Charadriidae)

Killdeer

Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)

Lesser Yellowleg
Common Snipe

Gulls and Terns (Laridae)

Laughing Gull
Herring Gull
Least Tern

Pigeons and Doves (Columbidae)

Mourning Dove
Common Ground Dove
Eurasian Collard Dove

Owls (Strigidae)

Barred Owl
Great-horned Owl

Goatsuckers (Caprimulgidae)

Common Night Hawk
Chuck Wills Widow

Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Woodpeckers (Picidae)

Pileated Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-shafted Flicker

Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)

Belted Kingfisher

Tyrant flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird

Shrikes (Laniidae)

Logger-head Shrike

Jays and Crows (Corvidae)

Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Swallows
Tree Swallow
Purple Martin
Swifts
Chimney Swift

Titmice (Paridae)

Tufted Titmouse

Wren (Troglodytidae)

Carolina Wren

Starlings (Stumidae)

European Starling

Mockingbirds and Thrashers (Mimidae)

Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
Gray Catbird

Thrushes (Turdidae)

Wood Thrush
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin

Gnatcatchers (Polioptilidae)

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Waxwings
Cedar Waxwing
Vireos
White-eyed Vireo

Wood Warblers (Parulidae)

Palm Warbler
Black & White Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Magnolia Warbler
American Redstart
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler

Cardinals, Piranga Tanagers etc. (Cardinalidae)

Indigo Bunting
Northern Cardinal

Fringilline and Cardueline Finches etc. (Fringillidae)

American Goldfinch

Emberizids (Emberizidae)

Eastern Towhee

Blackbirds (Icteridae)

Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle

Old World Sparrows (Passoridae)

House Sparrow

birding at naples botanical garden