Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) Family: Ardeidae The Tricolored Heron, formerly known as the Louisiana Heron, is a medium-sized heron with a long, slender neck and bill. Adults are mostly blue-gray above, but are distinguished from other grayish herons by their white belly and white stripe down the front of the neck. In breeding plumage Tricolored […]

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) Family: Parulidae The Common Yellowthroat is a small songbird that belongs to the diverse family of wood-warblers. This warbler is one of the most common and widespread of their family as their name suggests. Males are bright yellow with a distinct black face-mask and a thin white line just above it. […]

Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) Family: Anhingidae The Anhinga is a large, dark water bird with a long, thin neck. It has a long, pointed bill and silver patches on the wings. Anhinga are graceful fliers and can travel long distances without flapping their wings. They are known as water turkeys for their swimming habits and broad […]

Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) Family: Troglodytidae The Marsh Wren is a small brown bird that can be identified by its typical wren bill, whitish belly and eyebrow, distinct black triangle with white stripes on the back, and a solid brown crown. It will often sit with its tail held upright, and is very active and […]

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) Family: Tyrannidae The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is a slender flycatcher with gray and salmon-pink coloring and an extremely long and deeply forked tail. You may have seen this bird perching on utility lines, treetops and fence lines. As with many species, the male is more intensely colored than the female, but males […]

Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Family: Mimidae The state bird of Texas, the Northern Mockingbird, is a medium-sized songbird with a slender body and long tail. It is overall grayish brown in color, and has white wing bars that are strikingly visible when in flight. They can be seen in yards, parks, powerlines, forest edges, and […]

Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) Family: Laridae The Least Tern is the smallest of all American terns with a wingspan of 48-53 centimeters and a size between a robin and crow. Least Terns have a black cap ending at a white forehead and a short white eye stripe. They have a light gray back with a […]

Black-whiskered Vireo (Vireo altiloquus) Family: Vireonidae By Wyatt Egelhoff, Houston Audubon Conservation Specialist This denizen of the Caribbean is remarkably similar to the much more familiar (to the US birder) Red-eyed Vireo. Black-whiskered Vireo show less contrast between the gray crown and greenish-brown back and wings than Red-eyed. Black-whiskered have longer, heavier bills with a […]

Wilson’s Plover (Charadrius wilsonia) Family: Charadriidae By Maria Hart Wilson’s Plovers reside on beaches of the southern Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Coast. They are a medium sized plover with grayish brown upper parts, white underparts, and a pale brown collar. While in breeding plumage, Wilson’s Plovers develop a thick black ring around their neck […]

Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) Family: Caprimulgidae By Will McDaniel The Common Nighthawk is a medium-sized member of the nightjar family ranging from 8.7 to 9.8 inches in length with wingspans between 20 and 24 inches. Excellently camouflaged in drab greys, browns, and blacks that blend into the shadows of tree bark and leaf litter, the […]