Dry Tortugas National Park
Florida · Southeast
Challenging
April-May
$15 per person (ferry ticket separate)
Daylight hours; accessible by ferry or seaplane only
About This Location
Dry Tortugas is a remote island park 70 miles west of Key West, famous for spectacular spring fallouts of Neotropical migrants. Fort Jefferson on Garden Key serves as a migrant trap, and the Sooty Tern colony on Bush Key is the only one in the continental US.
Location
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Notable Species
Live Bird Data
Powered by eBird / Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Notable Sightings
Rare or unusual species spotted nearby in the last 14 days
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
Red-footed Booby
Sula sula
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel
Hydrobates castro
Black Noddy
Anous minutus
Bridled Tern
Onychoprion anaethetus
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serrator
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
Osprey (Caribbean)
Pandion haliaetus
Recent Observations
Species reported at this location in the last 14 days
Laughing Gull
Brown Noddy
Sooty Tern
Roseate Tern
Magnificent Frigatebird
Red-footed Booby
American Redstart
Black Noddy
Bridled Tern
Sandwich Tern
Royal Tern
Brown Booby
Western Cattle-Egret
Brown Pelican
Osprey
Merlin
Masked Booby
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Turnstone
Peregrine Falcon
Birding Tips
- 1
Book the ferry or seaplane well in advance
- 2
April fallouts after cold fronts produce incredible warbler variety
- 3
Visit during spring migration (April-May) for the greatest species diversity
- 4
Arrive at dawn for peak bird activity, especially during migration seasons
- 5
Check the tide schedule — shorebirds are most active during falling and low tides
Amenities
Nearby Attractions
- Fort Jefferson
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Florida Birding Guide
Complete guide to birding in Florida →