Birding

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Old Birding Texas website had 4014 visitors from 9/26/98 to 6/29/00

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Golden-cheeked Warbler photo by Greg Lasley

Birding in Texas

Texas is home to 620 species of birds, more than any other state in the U.S. This is because Texas has extremely varied habitats including 8000 ft. mountains, prairies, bottomland hardwoods, pine forests, coastal prairie, beach, and subtropical palm forests. Because Mexico borders the state to the south, Texas regularly hosts unique species from Central America. The Texas Ornithological Society (TOS) splits Texas into 8 regions according to their unique birdlife and habitats. An excellent resource for this subject is Wauer & Elwonger's book, Birding Texas.

Region I - Panhandle

The Texas Panhandle consists of high plains, shortgrass prairie, and red rocky canyons. Some of the more interesting birds include Lesser Prairie Chicken, Mountain Plover, Mississippi Kite, Long-billed Curlew, Canyon Towhee, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Rough-legged and Ferruginous Hawk, Northern Shrike, American Tree Sparrow, and 3 species of longspurs.

Region II - North Central

North Central Texas is a large area of Blackland Prairie (tallgrass) and Post Oak Savannah. Many eastern and western species reach their range limits here. Interesting birds include Red-shouldered, Red-tailed, and Broad-winged Hawks, Barred Owl, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Great Crested and Ash-throated Flycatcher, Eastern and Western Kingbirds, Painted and Indigo Buntings, Carolina and Bewick's Wrens, White-eyed, Red-eyed, and Warbling Vireos, Northern Parula, Prothonotary Warbler, Summer Tanager, Lark, Harris's, and Grasshopper Sparrows, and Smith's Longspur.

Region III - Pineywoods

East Texas is well known for its extensive pine forests, known as the "pineywoods." This region hosts many southeastern US specialties and more nesting warblers than any other region. Some interesting birds include Fish Crow, Swallow-tailed Kite, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Bachman's Sparrow, Swainson's Warbler, and Acadian Flycatcher.

Region IV - Trans-Pecos

This region is known as the Trans Pecos because it is all the land west of the Pecos River. Habitats include Chihuahuan Desert and several mountain ranges (Chisos, Davis, Guadalupe, etc.). One well known area is Big Bend National Park, along a bend in the Rio Grande River. The Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park hold the only population of Colima Warblers in the U.S. A few interesting species include Common Black-, Zone-tailed, Gray, and Harris's Hawks, Golden Eagle, Peregrine and Prairie Falcons, Chihuahuan Raven, Mexican Jay, Montezuma Quail, Lucifer Hummingbird, Gray Vireo, Hutton's Vireo, Virginia's, Lucy's, and Grace's Warblers, Painted Redstart (scarce), and Varied Bunting.

Region V - Edwards Plateau

This region is commonly known as the Hill Country because of the beautiful rocky, grassy, rolling hills dotted with ashe junipers, scrubby oak, and colorful wildflowers. The prominent geographical feature is the Edwards Plateau, bordered on the edge by the Balcones Escarpment. The Hill Country is famous for being home to two endangered birds, the Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler. Other cool birds include Painted Bunting, Yellow-breasted Chat, Ladder-backed and Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, Green Kingfisher, Greater Roadrunner, Western Scrub-Jay, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, and Lesser Goldfinch.

Region VI - Central Prairie

The Central Plains in eastern central Texas are flat country with habitats varying from blackland prairie, bottomland hardwood forests, and post oak savannah. This region is quite similar to Region II. Some interesting birds are Crested Caracara, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, White-tailed Kite, and several nesting warblers.

Region VII - South Texas Brushlands

This region includes many unique areas like the brush country, coastal bend, and the famous Lower Rio Grande Valley. The "valley" is famous for attracting lots of odd Mexican species, and birders from around the world flock here, especially during winter months. The coastal bend along the Gulf of Mexico is home to the top Audubon Christmas Bird Count circle in the country, Mad Island Marsh. Several count circles regularly tally well over 200 species on count day. Unique birds include Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, Tropical Parula, Altamira, Hooded, and Audubon's Orioles, Olive Sparrow, Botteri's Sparrow, Aplomado Falcon, and many others.

Region VIII - Coastal Prairie

The coastal prairie is a very diverse area. Excellent birding locations include High Island, Bolivar Peninsula, Brazos Bend State Park, Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Attwater Prairie-Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, and many others. The small town of High Island is an oak motte "island" surrounded by coastal prairie. This habitat attracts an astounding variety of migrating songbirds by providing the nearest food and shelter after their non-stop flight across the Gulf of Mexico. Along the beaches one can find nesting terns, Roseate Spoonbills, White-faced, White, and Glossy (uncommon) Ibis, gulls, plovers, sandpipers, Brown Pelicans, Double-crested and Neotropic Cormorants, Northern Gannets, Magnificent Frigatebirds (summer), herons, egrets, and many others. Marsh habitats like Anahuac NWR hold Least Bitterns, all the rail species, Mottled Duck, Purple Gallinule, and American Alligators. White-tailed Kite and White-tailed Hawk can be found in the coastal prairie. The endangered Attwater's Prairie-Chicken, a subspecies of Greater Prairie-Chicken, survives only at Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge and possibly elsewhere where there is remaining coastal prairie habitat. Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow (winter) and Seaside Sparrow (year-round) can be found in spartina grass along the coast.

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