Padding their nests with mangrove leaves flown in from another island, a colony of brown pelicans spares the foliage from its own trees. Situated safely off shore, their island rookery offers a measure of protection against egg-robbing raccoons and rodents. These and many other imperiled tropical water birds find one of their most secure U.S. sanctuaries among Florida’s remarkable mangroves.
Spoonbills in Florida, 1954
