American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana) Family: Recurvirostridae By Charlie Ayers, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s Beak of the Week is one of the funkiest ones out there, the American Avocet. Look for this large wading bird’s long, thin, uniquely upturned bill, bold black and white wings and long blue-gray legs. American Avocets, like many […]

Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) Family: Picidae By Grace Yaros, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Red-headed Woodpeckers are among the most handsome and distinctive woodpeckers in North America. Adults are striking, with bright cherry red heads, white bellies, and black backs with a contrasting white rump. Their wings are black with large, bold white patches on […]

Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio) Family: Strigidae By Grace Yaros, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Roughly the size of an American Robin, these pint-sized predators are remarkably well-camouflaged. Individuals can be quite varied in appearance; there are gray and red color morphs, as well as intermediate individuals that are brownish overall. Red morph individuals are relatively […]

Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) Family: Laridae By Grace Yaros, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Sandwich Terns are slender, medium-sized terns with shaggy crests. Adults have pale gray backs and wings, and clean white underparts. During the breeding season, adults often develop a slight pinkish wash on their chest and belly. Breeding adults have solid black […]

Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) Family: Paridae By Grace Yaros, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Carolina Chickadees are familiar birds across much of the southeastern United States, at home in urban and suburban environments and readily coming to birdfeeders. They have gray backs and wings and are whitish below with a pale orange wash on their […]

White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus) Family: Accipitridae By Grace Yaros, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Simultaneously elegant and fierce, White-tailed Kites are medium-sized raptors, related to hawks and eagles. They are white underneath and gray above, with a bold wing pattern. They have distinct black shoulder patches, and when viewed from underneath, they also have black […]

Purple Gallinule (Porphyrula martinica) Family: Rallidae By Grace Yaros, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician These multicolored, curious-looking birds are relatives of rails, and like many other rails are fond of wetland habitats with plenty of places to hide from potential predators. Adult Purple Gallinules have dark purple-blue heads and underparts, with a contrasting bright white […]