A national symbol of the United States, the bald eagle is an Endangered Species success story. Nearly wiped out by hunting, destruction of nesting habitat, and the chemical DDT, there were only 487 nesting pairs remaining in the wild by 1963. Today, there are more than 9,700 nesting pairs.

Bald Eagle by Paul Sager, on Flickr


Brevard Zoo's Sea Turtle Healing Center is the only sea turtle rehabilitation center in Brevard County. Brevard Zoo has been recognized as a leading institution in top ten zoo lists and awards from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Brevard Zoo is involved in efforts to restore native oysters and mangroves in the Indian River Lagoon to ensure cleaner water and stable shorelines. The zoo welcomes more than 400,000 guests annually.

The Northern crested caracara is a resident in Cuba, northern South America, most of Central America and Mexico, just reaching the southernmost parts of the United States, including Florida. The caracara population found in Florida is considered a relict population of northern caracaras that date to the last glacial period, which ended around 12,500 years ago. The southern extent of the last Ice Age ended hundreds of miles north of what is now Florida. The Gulf Coast and Florida was covered in an oak savanna at that time. As temperatures increased, the savanna between Florida and Texas disappeared. Caracaras were able to survive in the prairies of central Florida as well as in the marshes along the St. Johns River.

Crested Caracara


The boat-tailed grackle is a passerine bird found as a permanent resident on the coasts of the southeastern United States. It is found in coastal saltwater marshes, and in Florida, also on inland waters. These birds forage on the ground, in shallow water, or in shrubs. They will steal food from other birds and zoo patrons. They are omnivorous, eating insects, minnows, frogs, eggs, berries, seeds, and grain, even small birds.

Boat-tailed Grackle


Brevard Zoo's mission is wildlife conservation through education and participation. Through daily presentations, summer camps, field trips and an onsite "Zoo School", the Zoo’s education department impacts tens of thousands of children each year. As part of the "Lagoon Quest" program, every fourth grader in Brevard Public Schools is brought to the Lagoon for two full days of hands-on exploration and learning.

Sandhill cranes have one of the longest fossil histories of any extant bird. A 10-million-year-old crane fossil found in Nebraska may be from a prehistoric relative or the direct ancestor of sandhill cranes. The oldest unequivocal sandhill crane fossil is 2.5 million years old, older by half than the earliest remains of most living species of birds, primarily found from after the Pliocene / Pleistocene boundary some 1.8 million years ago.

Sandhill Crane


The barred owl is distributed throughout most of the eastern United States, as well as much of southern Canada. These owls have few predators, but young, unwary owls may be taken by cats. The most significant predator of barred owls is the great horned owl. The barred owl has been known to live more than 20 years in the wild.

Barred Owl


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