A tired flamingo swept to Florida's waters by Hurricane Idalia has recovered and was released back into the wild over the weekend.
Wild flamingos typically live and breed in the Caribbean, though they are regularly spotted visiting Florida in the Everglades or the Florida Keys. But Hurricane Idalia's Category 3 winds blew them more than 300 miles north to the Tampa Bay area and beyond (reportedly as far as Ohio).
The bird, now lovingly known as Peaches, was found alone and rescued off of St. Pete Beach on Sept. 1, as Fox 13 Tampa Bay reported. Local officials assessing damage from Hurricane Idalia saw the bird far out in the ocean with water-logged wings that prevented it from flying.
"We decided that we needed to try to save her, because the consensus was she would drown possibly," local city Madeira Beach Commissioner Anne-Marie Brooks told Fox 13.
They used a towel to contain the bird and then scooped it up with a net. It was transported to the SPCA for a day before recovering at the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores, according to Fox 13. The rescuers were not able to determine the sex of the bird.
In a Facebook post, Seaside Seabird Sanctuary said that the flamingo was overall in good condition but "clearly exhausted." Videos and photos also posted show the bird in its "recess" time.
After regaining strength, Peaches was ready to join other flamingos stranded by the storm. It was outfitted with a federal band, a resight band, and a satellite transmitter that will allow researchers to look at Peaches' movements for the next few years.
"The bands and transmitter weigh about as much as a pen, and while may be a little annoying for the bird initially, it will not cause pain or distress to the bird," the sanctuary said in a post about Peaches' release.
Upon being released Saturday morning, Peaches put on a show of bathing, shaking out its feathers, and the typical flamingo dance that kicked up sediments in the waters it was feeding in. About an hour later Peaches took flight, and rehabilitators are hopeful it will join another flamboyance which has been reported in the area.
After Idalia, flamingoes were spotted along Florida's Gulf Coast and even throughout Southeastern states.
Despite being a mascot for the state's lottery, many debate if the bird ever lived in Florida year-round. Even when they do make an appearance, they are usually spotted in the Everglades or Florida Keys, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Experts believe that the birds were flying from Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula to Cuba and were blown off course, a phenomenon known as a "fall out."
After Hurricane Michael in 2018, one beloved bird "Pinky" stuck around after a fallout near Tallahassee, earning a local star status.
Contributing: Chad Gillis, Fort Myers News-Press; Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY
