National Wildlife Refuges National Parks Acreage of Important Bird Areas 29 11 10,414,878 Sooner or later, every birder visits the Sunshine State. The subtropical habitats of its southern peninsula provide homes for several species found nowhere else in the United States, from Snail Kite and Limpkin to White-crowned Pigeon. Planning a nature tour here will most certainly land you in the Everglades: the vast “River of Grass” ranks as one of the most important wilderness areas in North America. Yet there’s much more to the state than this national park. Florida is, after all, a very big place. It takes longer to drive from Key West to Pensacola, for example, than to drive across the width of Texas. Pine forests, grasslands, varied wetlands, and the longest coastline of any Lower 48 state add to Florida’s avian diversity. Around 516 species have been recorded in the state, and while many of them are rare vagrants...