Top 10 Large Black Birds in Florida

There are so many black birds found in Florida. Some birds are very large and some bird species are very small, and some birds are medium-sized.

Today in our blog post, we discuss the top 10 large black birds in Florida.

So ready to discover with us the beautiful and large black bird species usually found in Florida and also other parts of America.

Large Black Birds in Florida:

Here are the top 10 black birds that are found in Florida.

• swallow-tailed kite
• Anhinga 
• snail kite 
• American crow 
• American Coot 
• Double-crested Cormorant 
• Black Vulture 
• Magnificent Frigatebird
• Turkey Vulture 
• common Goldeneye

The big and large black birds in Florida can be found in various habitats, from wetlands to urban areas.

So ready to discover with us the top 10 large black bird species in Florida. The below numbers are not given by rank.

1. Swallow-tailed Kite: 

This species of big bird are found in Florida as well as other parts of the country. The Swallow-tailed kites have long wings and forked tails.

They feed on insects but also hunt small birds, reptiles, and mammals. They always prefer to stay in subtropical and tropical forests, savannas, and wetlands. 

Diet: Insects, small mammals, reptiles, and birds

Habitat: Subtropical and tropical forests, wetlands, and savannas

2. Anhinga: 

If we talk about big black birds in Florida then Anhinga is a perfect example of it. A long neck, a long tail, with black colour lower body, and white and black combination wings look amazing.

Anhinga is one of the best swimming blackbirds in the world. Sometimes it swims with its neck and head above water, that’s why they named it ‘Snakebird‘.

Most of the time they prefer to eat fish. Also, they eat catfish, mullet, sucker, crayfish, shrimp, aquatic insects, snakes, baby alligators, and small turtles. 

Their habitat includes rivers, wooded ponds, cypress swamps, sheltered waters, freshwater marshes, mangroves, and dead trees.

Related: Green Birds in Florida

3. Snail Kite: 

Snail Kite belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are 14 to 17 inches in length, weigh between 350 to 450 grams and Their wingspan from 42 to 46 inches. They have a long big tail, long legs, and a thin and hooked bill.

Males have dark grey colour on their wings and black colour with a white spot on their tail, while females have the same colour combinations but a little browner with white feathers around the face. 

Their habitat range is the freshwater wetlands of Southern Florida. They feed on Apple snails. 

4. American Crow: 

American Crow is a big or medium species of blackbird in Florida. They have large, long legs, heavy bills, and short wings.

Their short tail is rounded on the end. American Crowns are very social birds. They can solve very difficult problems and can learn very quickly.

American Crow’s habitat includes open fields, open woodlands, forests, agricultural fields, roadsides, towns, and even city garbage dumps.

They can grow up to 21 inches in length and weigh around 300 to 640 grams. Their wingspan is around 33 to 40 inches.

Their diet includes insects, carrion, human food, different types of fruits, walnuts, grains, almonds, seeds, eggs, nestlings, fish, and even prey on mice, young rabbits, frogs, and other small animals. 

5. American Coot: 

American Coot is a big waterbird found in Florida as well as in other parts of North America.

This species of the blackbird is very noisy. They have big feet, strong legs, and long and strong beaks with red and white color.

American Coot is Omnivorous. They always prefer to eat plants, including stems, leaves, seeds, pondweeds, sedges, grasses, and many others. Also eats tadpoles, fish, worms, snails, crayfish, and eggs.

Their habitat includes ponds, lakes, marshes, park ponds, salt bays, lakes, and salt marshes.

Related: What are the Black Noisy Birds in Florida?

6. Double-Crested Cormorant: 

The Double-crested Cormorant is a big blackwater bird species found in Florida and other parts of North America.

They have a long big hooked bill and also have long and big wings, thin necks, long legs, and long beaks. 

They feed on fish, crabs, shrimp, crayfish, frogs, salamanders, eels, snakes, and plant material.

Their habitat includes lakes, rivers, wetlands, bays, coasts, and small islands.

7. Black Vulture: 

Black Vulture is a bird of prey found in Florida and other parts of America. They have short, broad wings that are designed for soaring and gliding.

They have strong legs. One important thing about these birds is they are completely different from their brother Turkey Vulture, who has a red face.

Black vultures are large birds with a wingspan of around 1.5 meters (5 feet) and measuring about 22-30 inches in length. They typically weigh between 1.5 kg to 2.5 kg (3.3-3.5 lbs).

Black vultures are found throughout the southeastern United States, including Florida, Peru, Chile, and Uruguay, as well as parts of Central America.

Their habitat includes brush, fields, pastures, grassland, moist lowland forests, shrublands, wetlands, swamps, and forests. 

Black vultures are scavengers and feed on carrion (the flesh of dead animals). They will also eat eggs, young birds, and other small Animals. 

8. Magnificent Frigatebird: 

The Magnificent Frigatebird is a large seabird species found in Florida.

This bird has a distinctive appearance with a long wingspan, a deeply forked tail, and a large beak.

Males have a black body with a red throat punch, while females are black with a white breast and throat.

The magnificent frigatebird is one of the largest seabirds in the world with a wingspan of up to 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) and a length of up to 45 inches (115cm). Males are slightly larger than females.

The Magnificent Frigatebird breeds colonially in trees in Florida, the Caribbean, and the Pacific coast of America.

These birds are found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.

The magnificent Frigatebird is a predatory bird and their diet includes fish, squid, and other small marine creatures. 

9. Turkey Vulture: 

The Turkey Vulture is a bird of prey found in Florida as well as in other parts of America.

They have bald heads, long wings, long legs, and long and big beaks.

They don’t have feathers on their red-looking head. They mostly eat carrion (flesh of dead animals).

They always prefer to stay in forests, grasslands, and urban areas. 

10. Common Goldeneye: 

Common Goldeneye is a big or medium size duck found in Florida and in other parts of the country. They have a round head on their body with distinctive black and white patterns.

They always prefer to eat aquatic invertebrates. Their habitat includes freshwater lakes, rivers, and wetlands. 

FAQs:

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Florida is home to many big and large bird species with black colors, including black vultures, magnificent frigatebirds, Turkey Vultures, as well as Anhinga. If you ever visit, you can see these 10 types of large black birds in Florida.