Florida Bay

The entire Everglades system drains into the large shallow bay just south of the peninsula of Florida enclosed by the chain of islands known as the Florida Keys.  Just as the Kissimmee River and Lake Okeechobee are the beginning of the Everglades, Florida Bay is the end.  Florida Bay relies on the input of freshwater from the mangrove forests lining the coasts in order to provide areas of lower salinity for the breeding grounds of many of the open water species.  Traditionally, huge grass flats have covered the bay providing habitat for countless small fish and the young of larger offshore fish.  These waters are a mecca for saltwater anglers seeking redfish, snook, bonefish, and other popular sportsfish.   Visitors might also be lucky enough to spot bottle-nosed dolphin or the endangered West Indian Manatee. 

Scattered throughout the bay are small islands known as keys that have a similar function to the tree islands of the prairies.  These islands provide shelter, a nesting spot, and dry land for countless birds and many land mammals, such as raccoons, that have made their way into the bay.  Every night large flocks of White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbills, herons, and egrets travel from the interior Everglades out into Florida Bay to roost on a number of keys.  Birds such as the Roseate Spoonbill and Brown Pelican nest almost exclusively on these islands rather than in the interior marshes like the ibis, herons, and egrets.   For these birds, and many others that utilize multiple components of the Everglades system, Florida Bay is just as important as the cypress swamps or sawgrass prairies that feed the bay.