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Wildlife

Florida is teeming with wildlife.  This includes hundreds of common species and rare and imperiled species.  Both the FWC and the USFWS have responsibilities regarding listed species.  Some species are federally listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the responsibility of the USFWS.  Other species are state-listed under Chapter 68A-27 of the Florida Administrative Code and the responsibility of the FWC.  While both agencies are working to protect these species, the listing status will determine who has ultimate regulatory authority for each species.  The following sections provide resources for identifying potential wildlife presence on a site, associated conservation needs, and specific survey and permitting requirements.

Wildlife Range and Occurrence Tools

These resources can help to inform which species of listed and otherwise protected species potentially occur on and around a site that is being considered for a land use change or a conservation project.   

  • State of Florida's Imperiled Wildlife Species (FWC) – resource which includes all species listed at the federal level as endangered, threatened, threatened due to similarity of appearance, or non-Essential Experimental by the USFWS and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).  It also includes species listed at the state level as state-designated threatened and species of special concern by FWC.
  • Fish and Wildlife Species Locations (FWC) – a webpage for GIS and mapping downloads of species occurrence data.
  • Information for Planning and Consultation (USFWS) – project planning tool which streamlines the USFWS environmental review process and assists determining if listed species, critical habitat, migratory birds, or other natural resources may be impacted by a project.
  • Species Tracking by County (FNAI) - database of all elements (rare species and natural communities) tracked by FNAI.
  • Breeding Bird Atlas (FWC) –project which attempted to record the breeding distributions of all bird species in the state during the period of 1986-1991 and this link includes a map that displays quads with possible, probable, or confirmed breeding status.
  • ebird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) – webpage which contains maps and other resources based off reported sightings of various avian species.
  • iNaturalist (California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society) - web-page which tracks species observations and can assist scientists and resource managers understand when and where organisms occur.

Rare and Listed Wildlife