This is Bird Note.

The Florida Keys extend from the state's peninsula like a string of pearls, and pearls they are,

in their uniqueness and value.

Stands of hardwood trees originating in the West Indies rise above the island's level ground.

These trees draw many birds of the Caribbean to the Keyes' tropical habitat.

Listening on Key West to mangrove cuckoos and gray kingbirds,

you might imagine yourself in Cuba or the Bahamas.

And you might see another Caribbean bird, the white-crowned pigeon.

The adult has a brilliant white crown and white iris.

It sounds a lot like a morning dove.

It's a fruit eater that includes native figs and

the fruit of the poison wood tree in its diet. Like pigeons the world over, white crowns play an

important role in spreading seeds. The birds swallow fruits and deposit some of the seeds

on the hardwood knolls, also called hammocks. Without the pigeons,

there might be no tropical hardwood hammocks in the Keys. But without the hammocks,

there would be no white-crowned pigeons in Florida.

If you're curious about the unique habitats of the Florida Keys and what can be done to protect them,

check out the link on our website, birdnote.org.

I'm Michael Stein.