Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) Family: Accipitridae Mississippi Kites arrive in spring from their winter homes deep in South America. A medium-sized hawk, the Mississippi Kite has long, narrow, pointed wings and a long black tail. The back is dark gray while the breast and belly are almost white. The head is pearly gray with a […]

Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea) Family: Cardinalidae The breeding Scarlet Tanager male is one of the most brilliantly colored birds that you may encounter during migration. In spring and summer, the males are scarlet red with jet black wings and tail. Females and fall immatures are olive-yellow with darker olive wings and tails. After breeding, adult […]

Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) Family: Icteridae Rusty Blackbirds have been the talk of High Island for the last few weeks, as they are currently being seen in Smith Oaks Sanctuary for the first time. They winter in the Eastern United States and are relatively uncommon in Southern Texas.  These birds have a thin, curved bill […]

White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) Family: Passerellidae The White-crowned Sparrow is a light gray sparrow with a brown back and wings, a long tail, orange, conical bill, and black and white striped cap on the head, making them look a little like badgers. White-crowned Sparrows are very selective about the species they allow into their territories. […]

Bonaparte’s Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) Family: Laridae This common gull gets its claim to fame by being the only gull species to nest in trees. On their breeding grounds in the boreal forests of Canada, Bonaparte’s Gulls build their nests of sticks, bark, lichen, and moss on a conifer tree. Gulls typically build ground nests, but […]