Reference

How many bird species are in Florida?

Florida has 545 living bird species on its official list (Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee, July 2024), 17 of them introduced species now established in the wild. The list also keeps 4 extinct species, among them the Passenger Pigeon and Carolina Parakeet, which makes 549 in all.

Updated

Florida bird list at a glance

From Florida’s official list, read on October 3, 2026.
Official count545 living species
List’s dateJuly 2024
Kept byFlorida Ornithological Society Records Committee
With extinct species549 (4 extinct species stay on the list)
Introduced species17, established in the wild
Review list177 species and subspecies whose sightings the committee reviews
Among US states7th highest of the 47 US lists (50 states and DC) with a verified count
Official listFOS Official State List (July 2024)

What does Florida’s count include?

  • Species that reached Florida on their own, and introduced species that have become established (the list calls them exotics).
  • 17 established introduced species, such as the Egyptian Goose, Muscovy Duck and Eurasian Collared-Dove.
  • 4 extinct species: the Passenger Pigeon, Carolina Parakeet, Ivory-billed Woodpecker and Bachman's Warbler. They stay on the list (549 species in all) but aren't among the 545 living ones.
  • 177 species and subspecies on the review list: sightings of these need documentation sent to the committee.
  • Not counted as species: 9 subspecies the committee tracks for review, and 1 introduced species that died out.
  • Its base is a 1992 checklist of Florida birds, updated by every decision of the committee since.

Why do other sources give a different number?

A state’s count is every species ever accepted on its official list, so a figure from another year, or one that counts something else, won’t match:

  • 545, 549 or 559. All three come from the same official list. 559 is every entry, including 9 subspecies and 1 introduced species that died out; 549 counts species, including the 4 extinct ones; 545 counts living species only.
  • Older lists. Florida's official list is dated July 2024; Texas's (June 7, 2026) and California's (September 8, 2026) are newer. Counts grow as committees accept new species, so compare dates as well as numbers.

Every state’s list follows its own rules: see why the counts differ from state to state.

How do you count your own Florida list?

Your state list is every species you’ve seen in the state. If you log your sightings in eBird, it lets you filter your life list by place, a state included (eBird’s My eBird help page, updated March 28, 2025), and the data download you can ask for gives the state of every sighting: our guide shows how to download your own eBird data. On paper, count the species you’ve seen in Florida; what is a life list? explains how birders keep their lists.

If you’d like your whole life list in print, Birdfolio turns it into a hardcover book, each species beside a classic painting.

Birding festivals in Florida

Our birding festivals calendar lists 7 in Florida, with dates from each festival’s own website:

In winter you can also join a Christmas Bird Count near you; our guide explains how.

More about bird counts

Sources

The count, its date and the details above come from the official list, FOS Official State List (July 2024), read on October 3, 2026. Other numbers link their own source. We never use eBird’s data or a website’s estimate for a state’s count.