LeConte’s Sparrow (Ammospiza leconteii) Family: Passerellidae By Robert Buckert, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s beak belongs to one of the most secretive grassland songbirds in North America. Some birders associate late fall birding with sparrows, as most arrive and are prominent in this window after many other songbirds have already passed through. This […]
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Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) Family: Charadriidae By Spencer Poling, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Of all the plover species found in the United States, none is as universally loved as the Piping Plover. They are easily identified by their orange legs, pale tan upperparts, broken breast band, and stubby bill. Two other similar species to […]
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Hudsonian Whimbrel (Numenius hudsonicus) Family: Scolopacidae By Colleen McDonough, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician With a long, curved bill designed for catching crabs in their burrows, Hudsonian Whimbrels are a joy to watch on their wintering grounds. The species Whimbrel was recently split into Hudsonian Whimbrel and Eurasian Whimbrel based on genetic differences between American […]
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Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis) Family: Rallidae By Robert Buckert, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s beak is held by the smallest rail in North America. Similar in size to a sparrow, the Black Rail is one of the most highly sought-after and difficult species to spot, proving infamously elusive as it buries itself in […]
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Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) Family: Ardeidae By Colleen McDonough, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician The Reddish Egret is North America’s rarest (and likely most eccentric) heron. An array of fast-paced and erratic hunting movements makes these birds stand out boldly among other wading species. Reddish Egrets are found almost exclusively near saltwater and brackish wetlands, […]
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American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliates) Family: Haematopodidae By Spencer Poling, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s Beak of the Week, the American Oystercatcher, is one that would be difficult to confuse with any other species in the area. Oystercatchers, family Haematopodidae, are known to frequent coasts around most of the world and for their bright […]
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Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) Family: Laniidae By Colleen McDonough, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician The Loggerhead Shrike, nicknamed “butcherbird”, is a songbird with unexpected carnivorous tendencies. Similar in size to a cardinal, shrikes are mostly gray with a black eye mask, hooked bill, and white wing patches visible in flight. The Loggerhead Shrike is one […]
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Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrina) Family: Parulidae By Theresa Kelly, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s Beak of the Week may be more easily recognized by its common name — Cape May Warbler — but its taxonomic species tigrina is a more apt descriptor. Adults boast a bright yellow face, breast, and belly, with […]
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Green Heron (Butorides virescens) Family: Ardeidae By Nick Minnich, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s Beak is often referred to as “daggerlike,” a perfect tool in the hunt for fish and amphibians. Green Herons are a short, compact heron who often prefer to stand on water’s edge vegetation as opposed to wading in the […]
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Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons) Family: Vireonidae By Nick Minnich, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician The Yellow-throated Vireo is one of the most striking North American vireos, with its bright yellow throat and breast plumage, broad yellow spectacles around the eyes, and gray wings with two bold white wingbars. Often, this bird frequents forest-edge habitat and […]
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