White Ibis
White Ibis
The South Florida Water Management District this week released its annual South Florida Wading Bird Report which showed the lowest wading bird nesting count since 2008.

Compared to the 10-year average in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem:

* White ibis nesting was down 45 percent

* Wood stork nesting was down 38 percent

* Snowy egret nesting was down 51 percent

* Little blue Heron nesting was down 61 percent

* Tricolored heron nesting was down 16 percent

* Great egret nesting was down 7 percent

Roseate spoonbill nesting up 20 percent overall but mainly in inland areas

Destroying wetlands and altering the Everglades for flood control and water supply have reduced the amount of quality foraging habitat available to wading birds, a news release states. Nesting of wading birds naturally fluctuated in the Everglades. But draining the Everglades has made it more difficult for populations to bounce back from poor nesting efforts.

"Wading birds are the messengers of the Everglades. Through 2016's low wading bird nesting count and the eighth consecutive year of below average nesting, the birds are telling us that speeding up Everglades restoration is an urgent priority," Julie Hill-Gabriel, Audubon Florida's deputy director, said in a news release. "Restoring the Everglades will make habitat more resilient for rare birds like wood storks and snowy egrets."