Florida Grasshopper Sparrow
Overview
The Florida grasshopper sparrow lives in the prairie region of south-central Florida
and is one of the most endangered birds in the state. In order to boost numbers in
the wild, a captive breeding program began at White Oak Conservation(Opens in new window). Since the program’s inception, sparrows have successfully hatched and been released
into the wild. The tireless work of multiple partners, including agencies such as
the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,
as well as conservation organizations, are essential to the recovery of this critically
endangered species. White Oak Conservation reached out to SF Teaching Zoo to collaborate
and we became the first zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to
answer the call for help and temporarily house sparrows. To date, sparrows that were
cared for by our keepers have gone on to find a mate within the breeding program or
have been released into the wild.
Learn more(Opens in new window) about this inspiring initiative from Zoo Animal Technology program graduate, Andrew Schumann, who is leading the captive breeding program at White Oak Conservation.
Florida Grasshopper Sparrows in the news
July 17, 2023 - Florida's Vanishing Sparrows(Opens in new window)
Sep 14, 2022 - Florida grasshopper sparrows have wowed researchers with their resilience
January 25, 2021 - Bringing back the 'most endangered bird' in the U.S.(Opens in new window)
May 15, 2020 - First Captive-Raised Florida Grasshopper Sparrows Released In The Wild Now Are Breeding(Opens in new window)