Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) Family: Alcedinidae By Spencer Poling, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Belted Kingfishers are common and widespread, yet they’re eye-catching birds whose presence is often hard to miss! Their stocky bodies, large heads, and bulky bills make Belted Kingfishers easy to recognize, yet it’s usually their loud, rattle-like call that announces their […]
Read More
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) Family: Anatidae By Colleen McDonough, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Sporting a ridiculously large crest, the Hooded Merganser could never not stand out in a pond! Breeding males have striking black and white patterning while females are cinnamon colored. Hooded Mergansers are the smallest of the mergansers found in the Americas, […]
Read More
LeConte’s Sparrow (Ammospiza leconteii) Family: Passerellidae By Robert Buckert, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s beak belongs to one of the most secretive grassland songbirds in North America. Some birders associate late fall birding with sparrows, as most arrive and are prominent in this window after many other songbirds have already passed through. This […]
Read More
Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) Family: Charadriidae By Spencer Poling, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician Of all the plover species found in the United States, none is as universally loved as the Piping Plover. They are easily identified by their orange legs, pale tan upperparts, broken breast band, and stubby bill. Two other similar species to […]
Read More
Hudsonian Whimbrel (Numenius hudsonicus) Family: Scolopacidae By Colleen McDonough, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician With a long, curved bill designed for catching crabs in their burrows, Hudsonian Whimbrels are a joy to watch on their wintering grounds. The species Whimbrel was recently split into Hudsonian Whimbrel and Eurasian Whimbrel based on genetic differences between American […]
Read More
Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis) Family: Rallidae By Robert Buckert, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s beak is held by the smallest rail in North America. Similar in size to a sparrow, the Black Rail is one of the most highly sought-after and difficult species to spot, proving infamously elusive as it buries itself in […]
Read More
Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) Family: Ardeidae By Colleen McDonough, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician The Reddish Egret is North America’s rarest (and likely most eccentric) heron. An array of fast-paced and erratic hunting movements makes these birds stand out boldly among other wading species. Reddish Egrets are found almost exclusively near saltwater and brackish wetlands, […]
Read More
American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliates) Family: Haematopodidae By Spencer Poling, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician This week’s Beak of the Week, the American Oystercatcher, is one that would be difficult to confuse with any other species in the area. Oystercatchers, family Haematopodidae, are known to frequent coasts around most of the world and for their bright […]
Read More
Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) Family: Laniidae By Colleen McDonough, Houston Audubon Coastal Conservation Technician The Loggerhead Shrike, nicknamed “butcherbird”, is a songbird with unexpected carnivorous tendencies. Similar in size to a cardinal, shrikes are mostly gray with a black eye mask, hooked bill, and white wing patches visible in flight. The Loggerhead Shrike is one […]
Read More
Caroline Nixson, Volunteer Coordinator, Houston Audubon Houston may be known for its freeways and skyscrapers, but it’s also a city shaped by water, sky, and the creatures that move through both. Perched at the intersection of coastal prairie, piney woods, bottomland forest, and estuarine wetlands, the Bayou City is uniquely positioned at a vibrant ecological […]
Read More
Houston AuduBlog 