Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) Family: Columbidae Next time you go out on a walk around your neighborhood and pass a Eurasian Collared-Dove perched on a powerline, you might want to hold on to your wallet. We see these pale, chunky birds in the U.S. partly because of a 1970s pet store burglary in the Bahamas. […]
Read MoreStilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)Family: Scolopacidae Our Beak of the Week is another one of those tricky shorebirds. Having legs too short for a yellowlegs and a bill too short for a dowitcher, the Stilt Sandpiper can easily puzzle birders. It actually belongs to the Calidris genus with the “peeps”, including Least Sandpipers and Dunlin. However, […]
Read MoreWilson’s Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)Family: Parulidae The Wilson’s Warbler is well known for its constant motion while foraging. Even when perched, it tends to wag its tail and flick its wings. This bird is a common migrant that is often seen in the fall in the Houston area. It prefers to use its small, pointed beak […]
Read MorePomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus)Family: Stercorariidae Though they spend the majority of their lives over the ocean, seabirds such as the Pomarine Jaeger occasionally get blown far inland by tropical storms. At first glance, Pomarine Jaegers may look like a rather large gull with a bulkier profile. They are powerful, direct fliers, and they use this […]
Read MoreSnowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus)Family: Charadriidae The Snowy Plover blends in so well with its beach environment that at first glance it may seem to be just part of the beach. It is light, sandy gray above and white below, with a thin black bill and gray legs. In its breeding plumage, the Snowy Plover also […]
Read MoreWhite-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi)Family: Threskiornithidae The White-faced Ibis is a medium-sized wading bird with greenish iridescent wings and a deep reddish-brown head and body. It has a patch of bright white skin on its face and a hefty downward-curved bill, which it uses to probe for food such as insects, worms, frogs, and crabs. White-faced […]
Read MoreAcadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens)Family: Tyrannidae The Acadian Flycatcher is a bird that experienced birders will often consider a challenge to identify. The Acadian Flycatcher, along with about a dozen other species of North American flycatchers, belongs to the Empidonax family, and species within Empidonax can only really be identified by very small details, of which […]
Read MoreHouse Sparrow (Passer domesticus)Family: Passeridae The House Sparrow is easy to find year-round, even in the heat of summer. House Sparrows thrive in urban environments, where there are often very few resources available for birds, but they can also be found in a variety of suburban and agricultural landscapes. Where food is available, large flocks […]
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By Glenn Olsen, GO Birding Ecotours July on the upper Texas Coast is hot–too hot for many of us to enjoy getting out and birding. However, the early mornings and early evenings can be bearable, and provide an opportunity to see some of the birds that will soon be leaving us. Fortunately, we have our […]
Read MoreBrown-headed Nuthatch(Sitta pusilla)Family: Sittidae Often found clinging to tree trunks and branches, the Brown-headed Nuthatch is equally at home climbing upward and downward among the high branches of pine forests. Their rather unique habit of walking down tree trunks headfirst may appear silly, but it comes in handy when they are foraging for insects in […]
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