Aramus guarauna
Limpkins were originally confined to southern Florida. After 2017, sightings began to be reported in numbers north of Florida, and along the Gulf coast. Then, in 2022 and 2023, they exploded throughout the eastern United States (Kaufman 2024).
There were sightings of at least three individuals in our area in 2023: One was at Shawnee Lookout July 18 through July 20; one was at Sharon Woods July 21 through August 5; one was at Island Metropark, in Dayton, August 5 through August 15; and one was at Hueston Woods August 5 through August 16. The Shawnee Lookout and Sharon Woods birds may have been the same individual. But based on the times of the reports, the Sharon Woods, Dayton, and Hueston Woods birds must have all been different.
These extended stays were followed by shorter stays at Maineville, Warren County, August 24-25, Caesar Creek September 2 – 3, Ripley, Ohio on September 5, and Kingswood Park, Warren County, on November 6. The later birds may or may not have been the same individuals as the earlier birds.
With the exception of the Hueston Woods bird, all were accepted by the Ohio Bird Records Committee (Cefus 2023c). The Hueston Woods bird was not rejected – apparently in the flood of Limpkin records, it was simply not considered.
Finally, the 2023 explosion was followed by a photographed bird at Stonelick Park, on August 24, 2025.