Red-legged Thrush and other Bahamian Vagrants in Florida, Spring 2025

Birders across Florida scrambled to Sebastian Inlet State Park in Indian River Co on 5 May 2025 after a Red-legged Thrush was discovered in the park’s campground earlier that morning. Initially seen only briefly by Randy Knapp, the bird went missing for two tense hours before resurfacing in another area of the park where it remained cooperative throughout the afternoon—often hopping within feet of awestruck observers struggling to focus their cameras at such close range! Later, chasers got an unexpected surprise when the thrush was joined by an adult female Kirtland’s Warbler, another exciting rarity of Bahamian origin. Unfortunately, this fifth ABA record proved to be a one-day-wonder, though one that may hint at other Bahamian vagrants still yet to be detected in southeastern Florida.

Of Florida’s (and the ABA Area’s) now five Red-legged Thrush records, four have involved the gray-bodied Bahamian subspecies Turdus plumbeus plumbeus, and like most Bahamian vagrants, all previous T. p. plumbeus individuals have occurred along Florida’s east coast between April and June. Late spring is known by Florida birders as the prime window for finding Bahamian vagrants, and this year has been no exception. In addition to the Red-legged Thrush, Florida has recently hosted a Bahama Mockingbird in Key West, a La Sagra’s Flycatcher on the Dry Tortugas, and a Thick-billed Vireo in Boca Raton—all of which appeared in a 13-day span from Apr 23 through May 5th. According to eBird data from the last two decades, Florida typically records an average of six Bahamian vagrants representing three species each spring, with most birds first showing up between approximately 15 Apr and 15 May. 

Why is late spring such a productive time for Bahamian birds in Florida, and why have this year’s vagrants seemed to arrive in such a concentrated pulse? The answers may lie with plant phenology and prevailing weather patterns over the northern Bahamas. Late spring can be a challenging time for resident birds of the Bahamas’ tropical dry forests; the plentiful fruit of the dry season (Dec-Apr) have mostly been picked over, and many tree species have dropped their leaves in preparation for flowering and leaf flush at the beginning of the wet season (May–Nov), meaning insect life also becomes temporarily scarce. This spring’s historic drought across the northern Bahamas may be exacerbating an already precarious situation for resident birds by delaying flowering and leafout of native trees, therefore prolonging the period in which both fruit and insect food sources are at their yearly lows. 

The other part of this story is wind. When food is in short supply, as it likely is now, Bahamian birds are thought to engage in inter-island dispersal (i.e., ‘island-hopping’) in search of better resources. And when east winds prevail over The Bahamas, these directionless island hoppers are more prone to being whisked west and arriving along the coast of the Sunshine State. Such was apparently the case in the weeks during and immediately preceding Florida’s recent influx of Bahamian vagrants: a clockwise-rotating high pressure system camped out over the northern Bermuda Triangle spun unrelenting east-southeast winds across the northern Bahamas and Florida for weeks, helping some dispersing Bahamian birds to reach Florida’s coastline. These same conditions also likely accounted for recent coastal and inland sightings of pelagic birds, including multiple Arctic Terns in Palm Beach Co, though these winds were also undoubtedly responsible for Florida’s painfully slow spring migration by pushing most migrating songbirds west out over the Gulf.

With favorable conditions still in place, there are likely more Bahamian vagrants in Florida that have managed to elude detection. Of the recent vagrant discoveries, all have been insectivorous or omnivorous species, perhaps suggesting that low insect abundance is the primary driver in this spring’s vagrancy event. If this is the case, insectivorous Bahamian species to be on the lookout for in Florida could include: 

• Cuban Pewee 
• Thick-billed Vireo
• Bahama Mockingbird 
• La Sagra’s Flycatcher 
• Bahama Woodstar
• Cuban Emerald 

 

While Bahamian vagrants have shown up in a variety of locations and habitats across Florida over the years, historical occurrence data show a clear preference for sites with a common set of characteristics. Birders seeking to target these birds should focus their efforts on sites matching the following criteria:

 

Region	Southeast and east-central Florida; coastal Brevard Co south through the Dry Tortugas in Monroe Co
Site Characteristics	Small, isolated patches of well-foliated tropical hardwood hammock on or immediately adjacent to the coast
Specific Attractants	Fruiting strangler figs (Ficus aurea)  Flowering gumbo limbos (Bursera simaruba) and Jamaican dogwoods (Piscidia piscipula) for insects and nectar Freshwater drinking sources
Example Locations	Palm Beach Co: Lantana Nature Preserve, Spanish River Park, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center Broward Co: Dr. Von D. Mizell–Eula Johnson SP, Hugh Taylor Birch SP Miami-Dade Co: Oleta River SP, Crandon Park, Bill Baggs Cape Florida SP Monroe Co: any natural area in the Florida Keys; Fort Zachary Taylor SP, Dry Tortugas

 

References

Howell, Steve N. G., Lewington, Ian, Russel, Will 2014. Rare Birds of North America. Princeton University Press.

Fleming, G. M., Wunderle, J. M., Jr., White, J. D., Currie, D., Helmer, E. H., & Ewert, D. N. 2024. Winter dry season reproductive phenology in Bahamian dry forest and implications for conservation. Biotropica. 56(1): 170–184.

Recommended citation: Johnson, Will and Alex Lamoreaux. 2025. Red-legged Thrush and other Bahamian Vagrants in Florida, Spring 2025. North American Birds. 76(1).