Cape Florida Banding Station

The Cape Florida Banding Station (CFBS) is a migratory bird banding station located in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. For over 20 years biologists, recent graduates and community members from across Florida have collaborated to gain hands-on training and contribute to the station’s long-term dataset. 

We founded the CFBS in 2002 to learn more about bird migration through South Florida, an area that hosts millions of birds on the move between northeastern North America, the Caribbean, Central America and northern South America each spring and fall but that previously had received little scientific attention. We could not have imagined then that the CFBS would still be going strong over two decades later. We are constantly grateful for all the help and support we have received over the years to make the CFBS one of the longest running community science programs in the area.

CFBS is located within a restored hardwood hammock and offers a unique opportunity to promote a hemisphere-wide understanding of the ecology of migratory birds. Our goal is to enhance bird conservation in South Florida and along the Atlantic Flyway. CFBS has banded over 50,000 neotropical migratory birds of 119 species, with an average of 1,800 birds banded each season. Birds are examined for age, sex and body condition, and are given a numbered leg band before being released back into the wild. Birds banded at CFBS have been encountered in maritime Canada, Puerto Rico, and many places in between.

The CFBS is hoping to raise $ 5,000 during today’s Give Miami Day fundraiser. These unrestricted funds will allow us to replace worn equipment (in particular delicate mist nets), offset other operational costs, and provide training opportunities for volunteers.

We have some exciting new opportunities in 2026 to expand our research partnerships and have our unique dataset contribute further to hemisphere-wise knowledge of bird migration trends, as well as the chance to continue to involve local residents in community science. We are incredibly thankful for your support!