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texas
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Summer Tanager
This is a female, distinguished from female Scarlet Tanager by its larger size, warmer orange-yellow color (not green), larger bill and paler, non-contrasting wings. Note also the lack of an obvious projecting "tooth" extending down from the cutting edge of the bill.- jmorlan
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- piranga rubra summer tanager texas usa
- Comments: 3
- Category: North America
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Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus)
This was a new mammal for me. It has recently been split into three species but only one occurs in the US. The others are found in the neotropics. They are largely nocturnal and this one was in deep shade making photography problematic. It is presumably "S. h. texianus" which ranges through the...- jmorlan
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- hispid cotton rat sigmodon hispidus texas usa
- Comments: 1
- Category: Wild Mammals
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Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
They are considered imperiled in Texas with a status of S2 which means "Very rare and of conservation concern; typically, between 6 and 20 known occurrences or populations; may be susceptible to becoming extirpated."- jmorlan
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- common bottlenose dolphin texas tursiops truncatus usa
- Comments: 2
- Category: Sea Life
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Common Spotted Whiptail (Aspidoscelis gularis)
Also called the Texas Spotted Whiptail this species is endemic to the southwestern US and Mexico. It is a male based on the blue patches on its chest and presumably represents the widespread nominate race. Formerly included in the genus "Cnemidophorus."- jmorlan
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- aspidoscelis gularis common spotted whiptail texas usa
- Comments: 0
- Category: Reptiles
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Gray-cheeked Thrush
An uncommon long-distance migrant from wintering grounds in Northern South America to boreal forests across Northern North America. Often confused with similar species, the Gray-cheeked may be identified by the lack of a distinctive eyering, combined with rather cold gray-brown upperparts as...- jmorlan
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- catharus minimus gray-cheeked thrush texas usa
- Comments: 1
- Category: North America
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Painted Bunting
Males such as this take two years to acquire their outrageously bright multi-colored plumage. In their first year, they are usually indistinguishable from the overall greenish females. Two races are currently recognized. This is "P. c. pallidior," the smaller, paler western form. Populations...- jmorlan
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- painted bunting passerina ciris texas usa
- Comments: 6
- Category: North America
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Magnolia Warbler
A head-on view of an adult male showing a necklace of strong black streaks across its chest. It was discovered and named by Alexander Wilson who collected the type in a magnolia tree in Mississippi. However, the bird breeds in dense boreal forests and is seldom seen in magnolias. It is an...- jmorlan
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- magnolia warbler setophaga magnolia texas usa
- Comments: 2
- Category: North America
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Eastern Wood-Pewee
A cryptic species replacing the almost identical Western Wood-Pewee in Eastern North America. Other than range, they can be distinguished by a combination of song and calls. The throat, lower mandible and underwing coverts average paler on Eastern but with some overlap. A useful field mark...- jmorlan
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- contopus virens eastern wood-pewee texas usa
- Comments: 1
- Category: North America
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White Ibis
This is an adult. They take two years to reach this plumage. They have been increasing and expanding their range in recent years. Formerly classified with the storks in the Ciconiiformes, they are now included with the herons and pelicans in Pelicaniformes.- jmorlan
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- eudocimus albus texas usa white ibis
- Comments: 1
- Category: North America
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Cape May Warbler
The yellow curving up behind the ear coverts helps to identify this female Cape May Warbler. They are a rare migrant here on SPI with most Texas records from the upper coast. On its breeding grounds in boreal forests of Canada, it is a Spruce Budworm specialist. But in the winter in the...- jmorlan
- Media item
- cape may warbler setophaga tigrina texas usa
- Comments: 3
- Category: North America
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Solitary Sandpiper
A fairly common migrant in Eastern North America. They avoid salt or brackish water and prefer fresh water or sewer ponds. Two subspecies are usually recognized. Nominate "T. s. solitaria" breeds in Eastern Canada while "T. s. cinnamomea" breeds in Alaska and Western Canada. Both migrate through...- jmorlan
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- solitary sandpiper texas tringa solitaria usa
- Comments: 2
- Category: North America
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Dickcissel
Their name is onomatopoeia for their song, "dick-dick-SISSel." The black triangle on its chest makes this one a male. Erratic and unpredictable, flocks of these unique birds were migrating through the island from wintering grounds in Northern South America where they are sometimes persecuted as...- jmorlan
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- dickcissel spiza americana texas usa
- Comments: 2
- Category: North America
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Indigo Bunting
Here is an adult male. They take two years to acquire this plumage. They migrate through this part of Texas to breeding grounds in eastern North America.- jmorlan
- Media item
- indigo bunting passerina cyanea texas usa
- Comments: 4
- Category: North America
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Clay-colored Sparrow
An uncommon and declining migrant through much of Texas. We only saw a few on our recent visit. They can be confused with other species especially Brewer's Sparrow and Chipping Sparrow. The combination of pale lores, unstreaked gray nape and pale median crown stripe on Clay-colored helps...- jmorlan
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- clay-colored sparrow spizella pallida texas usa
- Comments: 1
- Category: North America
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Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
One of my favorite birds. An adult based on pointed outer primaries and fresh pale fringing on wing coverts and tertials. Females average smaller than males and have shorter tails but there is overlap. However the primary tips lack the strong emargination of adult males so I am provisionally...- jmorlan
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- scissor-tailed flycatcher texas tyrannus forficatus usa
- Comments: 5
- Category: North America
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Blackpoll Warbler
A rare spring migrant in Texas, this incredibly cooperative male in breeding (alternate) plumage is the only one we saw. This species has one of the longest non-stop migrations of any song bird. Most of the population migrates over the Atlantic Ocean from Canada and New England to South America...- jmorlan
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- blackpoll warbler setophaga striata texas usa
- Comments: 2
- Category: North America
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Tennessee Warbler
An adult male. Females are similar but usually less crisply patterned and tend to have more yellow on the chest. They were by far the most common warbler migrating through this area during our visit. Formerly in the genus "Vermivora" it was moved to "Oreothlypis" along with several other...- jmorlan
- Media item
- leiothlypis peregrina tennessee warbler texas usa
- Comments: 1
- Category: North America
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Baltimore Oriole
A brilliant adult male attracted to orange halves impaled on twigs by volunteers. They are unrelated to the Old World Orioles (family Oriolidae), but are actually New World Blackbirds (family Icteridae). Although they hybridize in Kansas and Nebraska with the western Bullock's Oriole, DNA...- jmorlan
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- baltimore oriole icterus galbula texas usa
- Comments: 3
- Category: North America
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Wood Thrush
This thrush is a fairly common migrant in the eastern half of Texas, especially along the coast where it can be surprisingly common in shady forested areas with heavy leaf litter. This one posed long enough for a quick photo. They winter in Mexico and Central America and are said to be declining...- jmorlan
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- hylocichla mustelina texas usa wood thrush
- Comments: 3
- Category: North America
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Ovenbird
This terrestrial warbler allowed close approach as it walked on the ground among the dead leaves. They are fairly common along the Texas Coast during migration. They typically bob their heads and raise their tail as they strut on the ground. This is presumably the widespread eastern subspecies...- jmorlan
- Media item
- ovenbird seiurus aurocapilla texas usa
- Comments: 1
- Category: North America
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Acadian Flycatcher
Small flycatchers in the genus "Empidonax" are notoriously difficult to identify except by voice. However they seldom sing during migration. We identified this migrant by the combination of its greenish back, whitish underparts, long wings, conspicuous narrow eye-ring, large orange bill and its...- jmorlan
- Media item
- acadian flycatcher empidonax virescens texas usa
- Comments: 2
- Category: North America
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Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Several of these common migrants were attracted to hummingbird feeders here. They breed further north and the volunteers remove the feeders in May to encourage them to migrate. This is an adult male showing a black chin framing the top of the glittering red gorget. The ruby red is iridescent...- jmorlan
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- archilochus colubris ruby-throated hummingbird texas usa
- Comments: 5
- Category: North America
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Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
A rather bedraggled looking immature (SY), probably a refugee from a recent storm. The large swollen bill is specialized for eating crabs. They breed in coastal Central Texas, but this bird was almost certainly a migrant.- jmorlan
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- nyctanassa violacea texas usa yellow-crowned night-heron
- Comments: 5
- Category: North America
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Northern Waterthrush
Not actually a thrush, the two waterthrush species are in the warbler family (Parulidae). However both look and act more like a Spotted Sandpiper, foraging along water edges bobbing their rear end up-and-down. This Northern Waterthrush can be distinguished from the similar Louisiana Waterthrush...- jmorlan
- Media item
- northern waterthrush parkesia noveboracensis texas usa
- Comments: 2
- Category: North America
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Scarlet Tanager
This brilliant adult male is scarlet red with black wings and tail. In Texas they migrate mostly along the coast where they are more common in Spring than in Fall. Not actually a true Tanager, this is one of nine species in the genus "Piranga" which have been moved from the Thraupidae (Tanager...- jmorlan
- Media item
- piranga olivacea scarlet tanager texas usa
- Comments: 6
- Category: North America