Waterbirds as indicators of ecosystem health in the coastal marine habitats of Southern Florida: 2. Conceptual ecological models

•We previously identified 11 bird taxa affected by human pressures on Florida's coasts.•Here, we link those species to habitats through the use of CEMs.•These species are demonstrated to be representative of the health of those habitats.•The CEMs are designed to assess the various habitats’ health by decision makers.•We provide data availability, benchmarks, and scientific needs for each species.