Flamingos at Jungle Island, a zoological theme park, in Miami in 2017. The long-legged pink birds were once common in Florida. But their striking feathers were prized decorations for ladies' hats, and they were thought to have been hunted out of existence for the plume trade in the 1800s.

Nancy Klingener

Nancy Klingener covers the Florida Keys for WLRN. Since moving to South Florida in 1989, she has worked for the Miami Herald, Solares Hill newspaper and the Monroe County Public Library.

She is a Spring 2014 graduate of the Transom Story Workshop. She is on the board of the Key West Literary Seminar.

Florida's Long-Lost Wild Flamingos Were Hiding In Plain Sight

Nancy Klingener

Scientists thought Florida's native flamingo population had been hunted out of existence by the 19th century plume trade. A new study suggests the birds have been there all along.
Florida Keys Weigh Options For Battling Mosquitoes And Zika

Nancy Klingener

Residents of these islands have waged many campaigns against disease-carrying mosquitoes. But there's still not much agreement at public meetings about how the mosquitoes should be controlled.
Key West's Dueling Civil War Memorials Serve As Monuments To Tolerance

Nancy Klingener

There's been plenty of debate about Civil War monuments since the church shootings in Charleston, S.C. In Key West, a Confederate memorial is being fixed up, while a new Union memorial is being added.