A limpkin is a tropical wetland bird native to South America, and one was spotted in Pennsylvania for the first time in recorded history. The only place in the US where the long legged bird with brown and white feathers has been seen is Florida but it is more commonly seen in Mexico. One lone limpkin arrived at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster County, which is hundreds of miles away from its tropical habitat.
Education specialist with the Pennsylvania Game Commission Brian Collett said “he was hanging out in the lake right here below the visitor center. There were probably 15 or 20 people parked on the road looking at him most of the day,” Collett added. “He was definitely attracting a lot of attention.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission states that the limpkin population is at risk because of various factors, such as wetland drainage and habitat destruction, that have led to the decline of their primary food source, apple snails.
Scientists have found that the ongoing changes in the Earth’s climate due to human activities are causing a decrease in the number of migratory birds worldwide. In North America alone, almost 3 billion birds have been lost over the past 50 years.
Studies suggest the changing climate also alters the time and distance that birds are migrating, which may be why the limpkin may be moving to unusually far locations like southern Pennsylvania.