Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea) Family: Parulidae By Grace Yaros, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Cerulean Warblers are small, dashing warblers. Males are sky-blue above, and white underneath with a thin blue “necklace” and streaking on the sides. Females are similar but are green-blue above and their underparts have a faint yellow wash. Females also lack […]

Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus) Family: Calcariidae (Longspurs and Snow Buntings) By Rachel Myers, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician The Chestnut-collared Longspur is a common passerine of North America’s shortgrass prairies, rangelands, and desert grasslands. They are rarely seen on the Upper Texas Coast but one has shown up on the Bolivar Peninsula! These birds are […]

Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea) Family: Cardinalidae By Grace Yaros, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician With their dazzlingly bright plumage, Scarlet Tanagers are distinctive summertime residents of eastern deciduous forests. During the breeding season, adult males have brilliant red bodies and black wings and tails. Females are yellow, with darker olive wings and tails. Immature males […]

White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) Family: Threskiornithidae (Ibises and Spoonbills) By Rachel Myers, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician The White Ibis is an easy to recognize resident on the upper Texas coast. They are often found in groups in wetlands and estuaries across the southeastern United States. White Ibises occur year round in our area and […]

Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera) Family: Parulidae By Grace Yaros, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Blue-winged Warblers are small, dashing warblers; males have brilliant yellow faces and underparts with greenish backs and light blue-gray wings, two contrasting white wing-bars, and a thick black eye-line. Females are very similar to males, but have more green coloration in […]

Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) Family: Turdidae (thrushes) By Rachel Myers, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician The Wood Thrush is a reclusive songbird whose iconic musical, flute-like song can be heard throughout deciduous forests across the Eastern United States in the summer. Wood Thrushes are more common in the spring and fall on the Upper Texas […]

Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius) Family: Vireonidae By Grace Yaros, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Blue-headed Vireos are small, colorful songbirds that can commonly be found along the Upper Texas Coast during winter and migration. Aptly named, they have steely blue-gray heads that contrast with their greenish backs and yellow sides. They are white underneath, and […]

Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) Family: Icteridae (blackbirds, orioles, and allies) By Rachel Myers, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician The Great-tailed Grackle is North America’s largest grackle and a common permanent resident throughout Texas. They can be found just about anywhere in their range and birders and non birders alike have observed flocks of these loud […]

Merlin (Falco columbaris) Family: Falconidae By Grace Yaros, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Merlins are small falcons that can be found throughout much of both the eastern and western hemispheres. Their name comes from the Old French name for this bird, esmerillon. They are slightly larger than American Kestrels, and are gray/brown above and white […]

Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus) Family: Laridae (Gulls and Terns) By Rachel Myers, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician The Royal Tern is a year-round resident that nests on the Upper Texas Coast. They are social birds, and often gather on undisturbed beaches and nest in dense colonies. They are easy to distinguish in the breeding and […]