Northern Mockingbird Field Guide — Mimus polyglottos, Florida's State Bird
Complete field guide to the Northern Mockingbird — Florida's state bird and the continent's most accomplished vocal mimic. Identification, range, the all-night singing habit, aggressive nest defense, and where to find one (everywhere).
Common Bottlenose Dolphin Field Guide — Tursiops truncatus in Florida
Florida's most visible cetacean — how to identify, find, and understand the common bottlenose dolphin, from inshore resident pods to offshore ecotype, plus unique local foraging strategies.
Snowy Egret Field Guide — Egretta thula in Florida
All-white wading bird with golden-yellow feet, once hunted to near-extinction for its breeding plumes — now one of Florida's most common and charismatic wetland birds.
Anhinga Field Guide — The Snakebird of Florida Wetlands
Field guide to the anhinga in Florida — how to identify the iconic snakebird, where to find it, and why this featherless-winged darter is one of the strangest and most compelling birds in the Florida wetlands.
White Ibis Field Guide — Florida's Most Abundant Wading Bird
Field guide to the American White Ibis in Florida — identification, colonial nesting behavior, feeding ecology, and where to watch the state's most numerous wading bird probe the shallows with its striking curved bill.
Common Snook Field Guide — Centropomus undecimalis in Florida
Field guide to the common snook in Florida — identification, biology, range, seasonal behavior, best fishing and viewing locations, and conservation status of Florida's most iconic inshore sportfish.
Florida Softshell Turtle Field Guide — Apalone ferox in Florida Waters
Florida's largest freshwater turtle wears a leathery pancake shell instead of scutes, breathes through a snorkel nose, and strikes fish with a neck nearly as long as its body.
Goliath Grouper Field Guide — Epinephelus itajara in Florida
Florida's largest reef fish reaches 800 lbs and defends itself with a sonic boom. Complete field guide to the Goliath grouper — ID, range, mangrove juvenile habitat, offshore wreck aggregations, and IUCN Vulnerable status.
Zebra Longwing Field Guide — Heliconius charithonia
Complete field guide to the Zebra Longwing — Florida's official state butterfly. Identification, pollen-feeding biology, communal roosting, passionflower host plants, and where to find it across central and south Florida.
Queen Conch Field Guide — Aliger gigas in Florida's Keys
The state shell of Florida has been banned from harvest since 1975, yet wild Queen conch still graze the seagrass beds of the Keys — if you know where to look.
Black Skimmer Field Guide — Rynchops niger in Florida
Field guide to the black skimmer in Florida — identification, the extraordinary lower-mandible fishing technique, colonial beach nesting, and the coastal development pressures threatening this unique night-feeding shorebird.
Florida Stone Crab Field Guide — Menippe mercenaria
Field guide to the Florida stone crab — identification, unique claw-only harvest biology, range, habitat, season, and where to see this sustainable-fishery icon in southwest Florida.
Swallow-tailed Kite Field Guide — Elanoides forficatus in Florida
Complete field guide to the swallow-tailed kite in Florida — how to identify it, where to find it, and why SW Florida is the world's best place to watch this aerial acrobat before it heads to South America.
Magnificent Frigatebird Field Guide — Fregata magnificens in Florida
Seven-foot wingspan, forked tail, and a pirate's instinct — the Magnificent Frigatebird is the most aerially dominant seabird over the Florida Keys.
Gulf Sturgeon Field Guide — Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi in Florida
Identification, range, behavior, and viewing guide for the Gulf sturgeon — a prehistoric anadromous fish that leaps clear of Florida's Suwannee River and spends winters in the Gulf of Mexico.
Florida Gar Field Guide — Lepisosteus platyrhincus
Field guide to the Florida gar — identification, biology, range, ecology, and best spots to observe this ancient armored fish in Florida's lakes, rivers, and wetlands.
Florida Scrub-Jay Field Guide — Aphelocoma coerulescens
Complete field guide to the Florida Scrub-Jay — the only bird species endemic to Florida. Identification, scrub habitat ecology, best viewing sites, and the conservation crisis facing this Vulnerable corvid.
Purple Gallinule Field Guide — Porphyrio martinicus in Florida
Field guide to the purple gallinule in Florida — vivid identification, lily-pad feeding behavior, freshwater marsh habitats, and the best Central Florida sites to find this jewel-toned wading bird.
Saw Palmetto Field Guide — Serenoa repens, Florida's Toughest Understory Palm
Field guide to Serenoa repens — the saw-toothed clumping palm that carpets Florida's pine flatwoods and scrub. Fire-adapted, possibly thousands of years old, a keystone for wildlife, and the contested source of the prostate supplement industry.
Atlantic Horseshoe Crab Field Guide — Limulus polyphemus in Florida
Field guide to the Atlantic horseshoe crab in Florida — identification, ancient biology, spawning behavior, best viewing sites, and the pharmaceutical and conservation significance of this Vulnerable living fossil.
Nine-Banded Armadillo Field Guide — Dasypus novemcinctus
Field guide to the nine-banded armadillo — Florida's armored, nocturnal digger, the only armadillo in the United States, famous for identical quadruplets and a real but low-risk leprosy link.
Florida Black Bear Field Guide — Ursus americanus floridanus
Field guide to the Florida black bear — endemic subspecies recovered from near-collapse to ~4,500 individuals, largest land mammal in Florida, centered on Ocala National Forest and Big Cypress.
Red Mangrove Field Guide — Rhizophora mangle in Florida Coastal Ecosystems
Complete field guide to the red mangrove in Florida — how to identify Rhizophora mangle, where it grows, its ecological role as nursery habitat and storm buffer, and its protected status under state and federal law.
Mahi-Mahi Field Guide — Coryphaena hippurus in Florida Offshore Waters
Field guide to mahi-mahi off Florida — blazing color, explosive speed, and a fish that travels the open Atlantic inside floating sargassum. Everything you need to find, identify, and understand the dolphinfish.
Leatherback Sea Turtle Field Guide — Dermochelys coriacea in Florida
Field guide to the leatherback sea turtle in Florida — the world's largest reptile, its biology, nesting beaches, deep-dive physiology, and conservation status as Florida hosts the only significant leatherback nesting in the continental US.
Florida Cottonmouth Field Guide — Agkistrodon conanti
Field guide to the Florida cottonmouth (Agkistrodon conanti), the state's semi-aquatic water moccasin. Identification, how to tell it from harmless watersnakes, ecology, venom facts, and calm, accurate safety advice.
Brown Pelican Field Guide — Pelecanus occidentalis in Florida
Florida's iconic plunge-diver, recovered from DDT near-extinction to abundant on every coastline year-round. Identification, behavior, and where to find Pelecanus occidentalis statewide.
Florida Panther Field Guide — Puma concolor coryi
Field guide to the Florida panther — one of the most endangered mammals in North America, with only 120–230 individuals in southwest Florida. Identification, biology, territory, and the conservation crisis of the last wild puma in the eastern US.
Sabal Palm Field Guide — Sabal palmetto, Florida's State Tree
Field guide to Sabal palmetto — Florida's official state tree. Hurricane-resistant, salt-tolerant, present in every county, and the source of the edible 'cabbage' heart that gave it its nickname.
Osprey Field Guide — Pandion haliaetus in Florida
Florida's most visible raptor — the osprey dives feet-first into any waterway, from the Everglades to the Panhandle, and nests in plain sight on channel markers statewide.
Gopher Tortoise Field Guide — Gopherus polyphemus in Florida
Florida's keystone burrower: how to find, identify, and understand the gopher tortoise — a state-threatened ancient that shelters 350+ species in its hand-dug tunnels.
Atlantic Sailfish Field Guide — Istiophorus albicans in Florida
Field guide to the Atlantic sailfish off Florida — the fastest fish in the ocean, iconic cobalt-blue dorsal sail, and the world's premier winter billfish fishery off Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast.
Red Drum (Redfish) Field Guide — Sciaenops ocellatus in Florida
Complete field guide to red drum (redfish) in Florida — ID marks, range, behavior, best locations, and conservation status of Florida's most sought-after inshore sportfish.
Florida Manatee Field Guide — Trichechus manatus latirostris
Everything you need to identify, find, and understand the Florida manatee — biology, range, behavior, best viewing spots, and conservation status of this Vulnerable megaherbivore.
Wood Stork Field Guide — Mycteria americana in Florida
The only stork nesting in North America: field guide to the wood stork in Florida — identification, tactile bill-snap feeding, Corkscrew Swamp nesting colony, and its remarkable recovery from endangered status.
Green Iguana Field Guide — Iguana iguana in Florida
Field guide to the invasive green iguana in South Florida — how to identify it, where it lives, the 'raining iguanas' cold-snap phenomenon, why it's a problem, and the rules on removing it.
Florida Key Deer Field Guide — Odocoileus virginianus clavium
The world's smallest white-tailed deer subspecies stands waist-high, swims between islands, and lives only in the Lower Florida Keys — fewer than 800 individuals cling to a sliver of pine rockland and mangrove.
Cobia Field Guide — Rachycentron canadum in Florida Waters
Field guide to cobia in Florida — identification, range, seasonal migration, sight-fishing behavior, best locations, and conservation status of one of the state's most thrilling offshore and nearshore targets.
Piping Plover Field Guide — Charadrius melodus in Florida
A US-threatened ghost of the shoreline, the piping plover spends its winters on Florida's Gulf Coast beaches — here's how to find it, identify it, and understand why every bird counts.
American Flamingo Field Guide — Phoenicopterus ruber in Florida
Field guide to the American flamingo in Florida — from Victorian-era extirpation to remarkable 21st-century recolonization. Identification, biology, best viewing sites in south Florida, and the evidence that wild flamingos are returning.
Red Lionfish Field Guide — Pterois volitans in Florida
Beautiful, venomous, and one of the most damaging marine invasions ever recorded. Complete field guide to the red lionfish in Florida — ID, range, reef ecology, venom first aid, and why killing this fish is the conservation-positive choice.
Bald Cypress Field Guide — Taxodium distichum in Florida
Florida's ancient swamp sentinels — bald cypress trees live 600+ years, grow to 100 feet, and sprout mysterious knees from flooded roots. Field guide to identifying and finding Taxodium distichum across north Florida.
Spotted Eagle Ray Field Guide — Aetobatus narinari in Florida
Field guide to the spotted eagle ray in Florida — identification, biology, best viewing locations in the Keys and Gulf coast, and the conservation status of this Near Threatened elasmobranch.
American Crocodile Field Guide — Crocodylus acutus in Florida
Complete field guide to the American crocodile in Florida — how to identify it, where the US population lives, behavioral ecology, and conservation recovery of this Vulnerable reptile in the Florida Keys and Everglades.
Bonefish Field Guide — Albula vulpes in Florida's Keys and Biscayne Bay
Ghost of the flats: Albula vulpes, Florida's fastest shallow-water game fish, haunts the grass flats of the Keys and Biscayne Bay — silvery, wary, and IUCN Vulnerable.
Florida Largemouth Bass Field Guide — Micropterus salmoides floridanus
Florida's official freshwater fish and endemic subspecies — genetically distinct, grows larger than the northern largemouth, and holds world-record potential in lakes Tohopekaliga and Okeechobee.
Florida Spiny Lobster Field Guide — Panulirus argus in the Keys
Field guide to Florida spiny lobster — ID, biology, mini-season logistics, and the best reef sites in the Keys for finding Panulirus argus.
Florida Sandhill Crane Field Guide — Antigone canadensis pratensis
Field guide to Florida's non-migratory sandhill crane — identification, bugling calls, suburban behavior, and where to find central Florida's most visible large bird in wetlands, pastures, and neighborhood lawns.
Great Barracuda Field Guide — Sphyraena barracuda in Florida
The Florida Keys' resident reef torpedo — a curious, fang-mouthed silver predator that follows divers around out of nosiness, not menace. Complete field guide to the great barracuda: ID, range, ambush behavior, the truth about its danger to humans, and why most are released (hint: ciguatera, not the fight).
Loggerhead Sea Turtle Field Guide — Caretta caretta in Florida
Florida hosts the western hemisphere's largest loggerhead nesting aggregation — 70,000+ nests per season on Atlantic beaches. Field guide to identifying, finding, and understanding Caretta caretta.
Snail Kite Field Guide — Rostrhamus sociabilis in Florida
US federally endangered, Florida's snail kite hunts a single prey — apple snails — with a bill shaped by millions of years of co-evolution. Field guide to identification, habitat, and the wetlands it cannot live without.
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake Field Guide — Crotalus adamanteus
Field guide to the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake — the world's largest rattlesnake, up to 8 ft and 10 lbs, found in Florida's longleaf pine and scrub habitats. Identification, ecology, venom biology, and conservation of this IUCN Vulnerable giant.
Permit Field Guide — Trachinotus falcatus in Florida
Field guide to the permit in Florida — identification, habitat, feeding ecology, and the best locations in the Florida Keys and Marquesas to find Trachinotus falcatus on the flats.
Florida Pompano Field Guide — Trachinotus carolinus in Florida
Complete field guide to the Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus) — ID marks, range, surf behavior, where to catch it, and conservation status of Florida's most prized surf fish.
Roseate Spoonbill Field Guide — Platalea ajaja in Florida
Field guide to the roseate spoonbill in Florida — identification, foraging behavior, colony nesting sites, and the remarkable recovery story of this visually striking wading bird from plume hunting near-extinction.
Tarpon Field Guide — Megalops atlanticus in Florida
Field guide to the Atlantic tarpon in Florida — identification, biology, range, the air-breathing swim bladder, best flats and keys locations, and conservation status of the Silver King.
Great Blue Heron Field Guide — Florida's Tallest Wading Bird
Complete field guide to the Great Blue Heron in Florida — identification, feeding behavior, nesting colonies, and where to find North America's largest heron at its most accessible.
Spotted Seatrout Field Guide — Cynoscion nebulosus in Florida
Field guide to the spotted seatrout in Florida — identification, biology, range, behavior, best fishing locations, and conservation of Florida's most harvested inshore gamefish.
Sheepshead Field Guide — Archosargus probatocephalus in Florida
Complete field guide to the sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus) in Florida — the convict-striped, human-toothed shellfish crusher that keeps inshore anglers busy when winter slows everything else down.
Limpkin Field Guide — Florida's Wailing Apple Snail Specialist
Field guide to the limpkin in Florida — identification, foraging on apple snails, wailing call recognition, and where to find this secretive wading bird in Central Florida's freshwater marshes and spring-fed rivers.