Wading Bird Rookeries

This shapefile contains a range map of wading bird rookeries located in 1999 by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission conducted a statewide aerial survey during 26 January-25 June 1999 to locate waterbird (herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, storks, anhingas, cormorants, and pelicans) breeding colonies and estimate colony size and species composition. Fixed-wing aircraft were used to fly statewide East-West survey transects at 5-km intervals. Survey routes deviated at times to allow inventory of previously known colonies from earlier surveys. Of the 1,065 sites visited in 1999, 371 (34.8%) were active colonies supporting one or more species of waterbirds, while 694 (65.2%) were inactive sites. The largest number of active colonies (n=158, 42.6%) were located in central Florida between 27º-29ºN latitude; only 72 (19.4%) of the colonies were located in northern Florida above 29ºN; the remaining colonies (n=141, 38.0%) were found in the southern part of the state below 27ºN. Of the 371 active colonies located in 1999, 72.5% (n=269) contained 2 or more nesting species, while only 12.1% (n=45) exhibited 5 or more nesting species. The colonies in the central region tended to contain more species per colony than both the northern and southern regions of the state. Fewer colonies were found in 1999 (n=371) compared to previous statewide surveys during 1976-1978 (n=378) and 1986-1989 (n=635). Except for the brown pelican and cattle egret, most species continued a trend of nesting in smaller numbers and in fewer colonies during 1999 compared to previous surveys. Of the active colonies located in 1999, 51.2% (n=190) were previously undocumented colonies, 43.9% (n=163) were active during 1986-1989, and 21.0% (n=78) were active during 1976-1978. Only 60 (16.2%) 1999 colonies were active during the 1976-1978, 1986-1989, and 1999 surveys. This database contains records for all known and verified colonies in the state of Florida that were surveyed by the FWC during the period 1999 nesting season. Nests discovered more recently than this are not included in the database. Each year, a number of new colony sites are found. For this reason, users of this database are cautioned that the absence of a colony record for a given property does not necessarily mean wading birds are not present. This colony locator service is not meant to replace a specific on-the-ground survey. Disturbance to the colony may occur if a visit is made, and many of the colonies are located on private land. Providing these locations does not confer any permission by FWC to access private property.

Data and Resources

Field Value
access_constraints ["Use Constraints: Numeric results should be used with caution as aerial estimates are variable and some species are difficult to detect (i.e., small, dark species nesting under the tree canopy). Some colonies were also visited by ground surveys. If the ground survey numbers indicated a better count, the results from the ground survey were used. Acknowledgement of the FWC-FWRI (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission-Fish and Wildlife Research Institute) as the data source would be appreciated in any products developed from these data, and such acknowledgment as is standard for citation and legal practices for data source is expected by users of this data. Please cite the original metadata when using portions of the record to create a similar record of slightly altered data, such as reprojection. If any data are modified or adjusted, please share the edited information with FWC. Users should be aware that comparison with other data sets for the same area from other time periods may be inaccurate due to inconsistencies resulting from changes in mapping conventions, data collection, and computer processes over time. FWC shall not be liable for improper or incorrect use of this data. These data are not legal documents and are not to be used as such. This is not a survey data set and should not be utilized as such. These data are not to be used for navigation.", "Access Constraints: Available without restriction. All data must be verified by Principal Investigator or Group Database Analyst prior to release. It is strongly recommended that this data is directly acquired from FWC and not indirectly through other sources which may have changed the data in some way. FWC makes no claims as to the data's suitability for other purposes."]
bbox-east-long -79.890725
bbox-north-lat 31.001255
bbox-south-lat 24.488039
bbox-west-long -87.336594
contact-email gisrequests@myfwc.com
coupled-resource []
dataset-reference-date [{"type": "publication", "value": ""}]
frequency-of-update asNeeded
licence ["This data set is in the public domain, and the recipient may not assert any proprietary rights thereto nor represent it to anyone as other than a FWC-FWRI produced data set; it is provided \"as-is\" without warranty of any kind, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The user assumes all responsibility for the accuracy and suitability of this data set for a specific application. In no event will the staff of the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute be liable for any damages, including lost profits, lost savings, or other incidental or consequential damages arising from the use of or the inability to use this data set. The USER shall indemnify, save harmless, and, if requested, defend those parties involved with the development and distribution of this data, their officers, agents, and employees from and against any suits, claims, or actions for injury, death, or property damage arising out of the use of or any defect in the FILES or any accompanying documentation. Those parties involved with the development and distribution excluded any and all implied warranties, including warranties or merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose and makes no warranty or representation, either express or implied, with respect to the FILES or accompanying documentation, including its quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. The FILES and documentation are provided \"as is\" and the USER assumes the entire risk as to its quality and performance. Those parties involved with the development and distribution of this data will not be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use the FILES or any accompanying documentation."]
metadata-date 2010-06-08
metadata-language eng; USA
metadata_type geospatial
progress COMPLETE FOR 2005
resource-type dataset
responsible-party [{"name": "Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission", "roles": ["pointOfContact"]}]
spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-87.336594, 24.488039], [-79.890725, 24.488039], [-79.890725, 31.001255], [-87.336594, 31.001255], [-87.336594, 24.488039]]]}
spatial_harvester true
Groups
  • AmeriGEOSS
  • National Provider
  • North America
Tags
  • amerigeo
  • amerigeoss
  • ckan
  • florida
  • fwc
  • geo
  • geoss
  • national
  • north-america
  • united-states
isopen False
metadata_created 2025-11-22T21:14:41.949815
metadata_modified 2025-11-22T21:14:41.949819
notes This shapefile contains a range map of wading bird rookeries located in 1999 by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission conducted a statewide aerial survey during 26 January-25 June 1999 to locate waterbird (herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, storks, anhingas, cormorants, and pelicans) breeding colonies and estimate colony size and species composition. Fixed-wing aircraft were used to fly statewide East-West survey transects at 5-km intervals. Survey routes deviated at times to allow inventory of previously known colonies from earlier surveys. Of the 1,065 sites visited in 1999, 371 (34.8%) were active colonies supporting one or more species of waterbirds, while 694 (65.2%) were inactive sites. The largest number of active colonies (n=158, 42.6%) were located in central Florida between 27º-29ºN latitude; only 72 (19.4%) of the colonies were located in northern Florida above 29ºN; the remaining colonies (n=141, 38.0%) were found in the southern part of the state below 27ºN. Of the 371 active colonies located in 1999, 72.5% (n=269) contained 2 or more nesting species, while only 12.1% (n=45) exhibited 5 or more nesting species. The colonies in the central region tended to contain more species per colony than both the northern and southern regions of the state. Fewer colonies were found in 1999 (n=371) compared to previous statewide surveys during 1976-1978 (n=378) and 1986-1989 (n=635). Except for the brown pelican and cattle egret, most species continued a trend of nesting in smaller numbers and in fewer colonies during 1999 compared to previous surveys. Of the active colonies located in 1999, 51.2% (n=190) were previously undocumented colonies, 43.9% (n=163) were active during 1986-1989, and 21.0% (n=78) were active during 1976-1978. Only 60 (16.2%) 1999 colonies were active during the 1976-1978, 1986-1989, and 1999 surveys. This database contains records for all known and verified colonies in the state of Florida that were surveyed by the FWC during the period 1999 nesting season. Nests discovered more recently than this are not included in the database. Each year, a number of new colony sites are found. For this reason, users of this database are cautioned that the absence of a colony record for a given property does not necessarily mean wading birds are not present. This colony locator service is not meant to replace a specific on-the-ground survey. Disturbance to the colony may occur if a visit is made, and many of the colonies are located on private land. Providing these locations does not confer any permission by FWC to access private property.
num_resources 1
num_tags 10
title Wading Bird Rookeries