Okefenokee Swamp Education and Information Center

Very few places on earth will one find the variety of birds that can be found in the Okefenokee, with its 234 species. Home for everything from the stately Great Blue Heron to the endangered Red Cockaded Woodpecker to Kingfishers, Ospreys and Swallow-tailed Kites, the Okefenokee is a bird watchers paradise.

Wild (Common) Turkey
(Meleagris gallopavo)

The common turkey is another great conservation story. Hunted to near extinction, the American wild turkey has been protected and stocked in its native habitat until it thrives today in the woods and river swamps of the south.

Great Blue Heron
(Ardea herodias)

The Great Blue Heron is an unforgettable sight, standing up to 50 inches (130 cm) high and deadly still in the shallow waters of the open prairies. An occasional slow step belies his lightening speed when he attacks his typical prey of fish, frogs, lizards, or crayfish. The Great Blue exhibits a wingspan of up to 6 feet (1.8 m) when flying lazily across the bonnet lilies and golden club, dragging his spindly legs behind him into the sunset.

Red-tailed Hawk
(Buteo jamaicensis)

Of all the hawks in North America, the Red-tailed hawk is the most common and is a constant resident of the Okefenokee. Feeding on rodents, rabbits, squirrels, some birds, and even an occasional insect, the Red-tailed hawk presents a magnificent sight as she rakes along behind her fleeing prey, waiting for a moment of indecision. When that moment comes, she seizes the animal in her powerful talons and crashes to the ground with it. The sharp beak easily tears the prey into a meal ... and the precise laws of nature unfold.

Belted Kingfisher
(Megaceryl alycon)

Chattering away and constantly diving into the water for another minnow, the belted kingfisher is most at home in the watery wilderness of the Okefenokee. This bird is similar in appearance to a blue jay but is a larger bird with an entirely different lifestyle. Most kingfishers make their nests by burrowing into a sandy bank. This acrobatic showman is a common sight when canoeing through the swamp.

Great White Egret
(Egretta alba)

The white egret is a smaller cousin of the great blue heron, reaching a height of around 35 in (90 cm) but is no less a fisherman or no less beautiful. Egrets were nearly eliminated from the planet in the early nineteenth century to obtain their exquisite breeding plumage for the ladies formal hat industry. Due to protection by the federal government and education of hat buyers, the egret has made a strong comeback and now uses that ornamental plumage for its intended purpose ... making more egrets.

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Great White Egret (Egretta alba)

Great White Egret
(Egretta alba)