A rare group of American flamingos has brought new color and curiosity to one of the most remote coastal landscapes in Louisiana. Raccoon Island, located about an hour by boat south of Cocodrie, Louisiana, is a small barrier island and a vital refuge for seabirds. In the past couple of years, fishermen and wildlife biologists have spotted as many as fourteen bright pink American flamingos feeding and resting along the island’s sandy shoreline. The pink flamingos are an extraordinary sight for Louisiana’s Gulf Coast.
Raccoon Island – colonial birds and louisiana flamingos
The sightings of flamingos in Louisiana have drawn scientists back to Raccoon Island to see if the birds might become permanent residents. Rob Dobbs and Jon Wiebe, biologists with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, made the trip to survey bird populations and assess the island’s habitat. Wiebe says the island’s importance stretches back decades. “It goes along with history, really,” Wiebe explains. “The island has always maintained a large population of colonial waterbirds.”
Those “colonial” birds, birds that nest in large groups or colonies, thrive in the island’s isolation. As Dobbs notes, “Not a lot of people come out here, so the birds aren’t disturbed very much. It’s small and it’s isolated, and that means fewer predators.”
from brown pelicans to reddish egrets & maybe pink flamingos
Raccoon Island provides prime nesting habitat for brown pelicans, Louisiana’s state bird. The island also attracts threatened species like the piping plover and the reddish egret. “This is the rarest heron, egret in North America,” Dobbs says. “It depends on these island habitats for breeding.”
Dobbs and Wiebe recorded more than three dozen bird species during their visit, nearly half listed as species of greatest conservation need by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The mangroves that now blanket the island are a product of years of restoration projects designed to stabilize the sandy shoreline and create natural nesting sites.
hurricane idalia’s unlikely passengers
Biologists believe the Louisiana flamingos were carried north in August 2023 when Hurricane Idalia passed between the Yucatán Peninsula and Cuba. The storm swept hundreds of flamingos across the eastern United States. “We were hoping to see if those guys were still around,” Dobbs says. “They don’t appear to be, but there’s a lot of good flamingo habitat out here… and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think a group of flamingos could take up permanent residence here. Time will tell.”
Even if the flamingos have moved on, Raccoon Island continues to play a critical role in protecting Louisiana’s wildlife and coastline. The barrier island is a fragile sanctuary where nature, resilience, and renewal meet along the Gulf.
raccoon island off limits to the public
Raccoon Island, along with neighboring Wine, Trinity/East, and Whiskey Island, make up the Isle Dernieres Barrier Islands Refuge. Public access to the islands is prohibited unless permitted by the Secretary of LDWF. Click here for more information.
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