3 days ago
Peaches, Tampa Bay's Idalia flamingo, spotted in Yucatán
He may not be in Florida anymore, but he's still ours.
What's happening: Peaches, the flamingo rescued in 2023 off the coast of Pinellas County after Hurricane Idalia, was recently spotted by researchers in Yucatán, according to Audubon Florida.
Why it matters: His sighting confirms a migration pattern between Florida and the Yucatán and reveals the latest whereabouts of Tampa Bay's flamingo mascot.
State of play: While researchers outfitted Peaches with a band and tracking device before releasing him into the wild, the transmitter broke, Zoo Miami conservation and research director Frank Ridgley told Axios last year.
The big picture: While Peaches appears to have moved on for now, observers spotted more than 80 flamingos in Florida Bay, Pine Island and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge during a first-of-its-kind census last February in Florida.
Flashback: The birds were once native to the Sunshine State, researchers discovered in 2018, but disappeared at the turn of the century due to aggressive plume hunting.
