Common Birds of Texas (USA)

North America's most iconic conservation success — rescued from 16 birds, the entire wild migratory population winters at Aransas; boat tours provide guaranteed views.

The USA's most outrageous jay — vivid green, blue, and yellow, found in the USA only in the RGV; a guaranteed guest at Santa Ana NWR's feeders.

The largest North American oriole — brilliant orange-and-black adult birds and their enormous pendant nests hanging from live oaks are signature features of RGV refuges.

Texas's only endemic breeding bird — nests exclusively in old-growth Ashe juniper-oak woodland of the Texas Hill Country; males call from juniper tops in late March.

A Texas-Mexico breeding endemic with a jet-black cap and white spectacles — found in dense, low scrubby oak habitat; was endangered for decades due to Brown-headed Cowbird parasitism.

Announces itself loudly with "KISS-ka-DEE" from every treetop in the RGV — bold black-and-white head, yellow breast, and rufous wings make it Texas's most recognizable subtropical bird.

The "desert cardinal" — the parrot-like curved bill and red wing flashes identify this elegant gray bird of the Texas desert, most common in winter flocks around desert shrubs.

A tiny but surprisingly fierce owl that hunts birds and lizards in daylight — the Santa Ana and Bentsen refuges are the most reliable US sites for regular encounters.