The Arsenicker Keys or Arsnicker Keys may refer to any one of three groups of islands in southern

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. "Arsenicker", or "Arsnicker", is a corruption of "Marsh sneaker", a name used by

Bahamians Bahamians are people originating or having roots from The Commonwealth of The Bahamas. One can also become a Bahamian by acquiring citizenship. History Culture Olympic Games World Championships in Athletics List * Sidney Poitier, first ...

for the Great Blue Heron.

In Biscayne Bay

The Arsenicker Keys () are a group of islands at the southern end of

Biscayne Bay Biscayne Bay () is a lagoon with characteristics of an estuary located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. The northern end of the lagoon is surrounded by the densely developed heart of the Miami metropolitan area while the southern end is la ...

in Miami-Dade County. They are located within

Biscayne National Park Biscayne National Park is an American national park located south of Miami, Florida in Miami-Dade County. The park preserves Biscayne Bay and its offshore barrier reefs. Ninety-five percent of the park is water, and the shore of the bay is th ...

. The group includes: * Arsenicker Key. () The island was formerly called North Arsnicker Key. * East Arsenicker Key. () * Long Arsenicker Key. () * West Arsenicker Key. ()

Ibis The ibises () (collective plural ibis; classical plurals ibides and ibes) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word ...

, herons, and cormorants nest on the Arsenicker keys, and

frigatebird Frigatebirds are a family of seabirds called Fregatidae which are found across all tropical and subtropical oceans. The five extant species are classified in a single genus, ''Fregata''. All have predominantly black plumage, long, deeply forked ...

s roost there seasonally. Arsenicker Key and West Arsenicker Key, and the waters out to 300 feet surrounding those islands, are closed to all entry by the public to protect the nesting sites.

In Florida Bay

The Upper Arsnicker Keys () are a group of islands in

Florida Bay Florida Bay is the bay located between the southern end of the Florida mainland (the Florida Everglades) and the Florida Keys in the United States. It is a large, shallow estuary that while connected to the Gulf of Mexico, has limited exchange o ...

, in

Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...

, seven miles north of

Long Key Long Key is an island in the middle Florida Keys. Long Key was called Cayo Víbora (Rattlesnake Key) by early Spanish explorers, a reference to the shape of the island, which resembles a snake with its jaws open, rather than to its denizens. The ...

in the Florida Keys. The island group was known as the Cooper Islands in the 18th century. The group includes Center Key. The Lower Arsnicker Keys () are another group of islands in Florida Bay.

References

External links

* Islands of Miami-Dade County, Florida Islands of Monroe County, Florida Uninhabited islands of Miami-Dade County, Florida Uninhabited islands of Monroe County, Florida {{MonroeCountyFL-geo-stub