The true sign of summer here in the Florida Keys is the return of the elusive white-crowned pigeon. 

Although thousands of them spend the summer in the Florida Keys to nest and raise their young, you’ll be hard-pressed to get a really good photo of one.  That’s because during the winter months they travel south to other islands in the Caribbean, and most of those islands allow hunting of these birds.  As a consequence, they are understandably skittish around people.

It’s the rare photographer who can capture this kind of image of the white-crowned pigeon, a species made skittish around humans because it’s hunted elsewhere in the Caribbean.

These birds feed on the berries of dozens of native hardwood hammock tree species including such favorites as the poisonwood, fig, blolly and pigeon plum trees.   This bird is listed as a threatened species in the state of Florida, with habitat destruction of foraging areas a primary concern. 

How can you help the white-crowned pigeon?  Give a Smidgen for the white-crowned pigeon by landscaping your yard with native trees that produce food for this spectacular bird.  If you don’t live in the Keys, you can help your local wildlife by planting the native trees, shrubs and flowers that wildlife species in your region depend upon.

 – Kristie Killam