Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea)Family: Parulidae Everyone’s favorite blue warbler has started to arrive in Texas, all the way from South America and on their way to more northerly breeding grounds. Male Cerulean Warblers are stormy blue, with faint gray streaking on top with white throats, bellies, and wingbars. Females are more dusky on top, have […]
Read MoreYellow-billed Cuckoo(Coccyzus americanus)Family: Cuculidae Spring migration is often synonymous with the arrival of flashy yellow birds flitting through the treetops. But the Yellow-billed Cuckoo – our Beak of the Week – has only a little bit of yellow to add to the mix. Yellow-billed Cuckoos appear slender and clean-cut, with their upperparts brown and undersides […]
Read MoreAmerican Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)Family: Parulidae It’s a monarch butterfly, it’s a flying jack-o-lantern, no it’s an American Redstart! The mature male American Redstart looks like it’s perpetually dressed for Halloween with its stark black head, breast, back, wings, and tail, and bright orange patches on the flanks, wings, and sides of the tail to contrast […]
Read MoreIndigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)Family: CardinalidaeFeeling blue because you’ve been staying inside all the time recently? You’re not alone! Indigo Buntings spend all of their time outside, and they’re quite blue too. Indigo Buntings are in the same family as Cardinals and Grosbeaks – a group that includes many vibrantly colored species. However, Indigo Buntings are […]
Read MoreHooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina)Family: Parulidae Spring has arrived, and so have Hooded Warblers. You may have noticed this beautiful warbler hopping about and flashing its light-edged tail feathers in shrubs near you. The males of this species are yellow, have a darker yellow back and tail, and a distinct black “hood.” The females and immature […]
Read MorePrairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor)Family: Parulidae Now that it’s officially the second half of March, we’re all getting excited because warbler migration season is almost here! Some warblers are beginning to show up around Houston already, and we’re looking forward to seeing them all in our sanctuaries (and backyards) again. Warblers are always a sure sign […]
Read MoreGreen-winged Teal (Anas crecca)Family: Anatidae Male Green-winged Teal have black bills, red-brown heads with a thick green band stretching from the eyes to the nape of the neck, white bands on the shoulders, lighter tan speckled breasts, thick, dark-green bands on the lower parts of the wings, and thinner white bands bordering the green on […]
Read MoreCommon Loon (Gavia immer)Family: Gaviidae Known for its hauntingly eerie yodeling song and gaudy summer colors, the Common Loon is often considered a symbol of northern boreal lakes – it’s even featured on the Canadian dollar coin. However, during these winter months when boreal lakes are frozen over, many Common Loons venture toward both the […]
Read MoreSedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis)Family: Troglodytidae Sedge Wrens are small, round, nutmeg-colored birds, with curved bills, inconspicuous eyebrows, finely streaked heads, lighter chests and bellies, and thicker brown and white streaking on the backs, and tails. Their tails are short and are often raised. You are likely to hear them before you see them, due to […]
Read MoreTree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)Family: Hirundinidae A bird must be very adept in flight to be able to catch and eat insects in mid-air, and the Tree Swallow is just that! Tree Swallows are often found flittering high above ponds, marshes, and open fields in search of their next insect meal. Tree Swallows get their name […]
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