Bird of the Week: House Finch

House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus Compiled by Niyati Acharya House Finches are small-bodied finches with fairly large beaks and somewhat long, flat heads. The wings are short,…

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Bird of the Week: Purple Martin

Purple Martin Progne subis Compiled by Liam Molina   Purple Martins are familiar birds for longtime followers of Travis Audubon due to our yearly Purple Martin Parties….

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Bird of the Week: Barn Swallow

Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Compiled by Lisa S. Graham   Graceful, agile, and endlessly energetic, the Barn Swallow is one of the most familiar birds of open country and rural…

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Bird of the Week: Great Horned Owl

Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus Compiled by Yvonne Karnath There is a particular kind of cold January night in Central Texas — clear, dry, the live…

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Bird of the Week: Killdeer

Killdeer Charadrius vociferus Compiled by Cameron Kennedy This week’s featured bird is a vocal, clever, and broad-ranging shorebird with a lot of personality and intriguing behaviors – the Killdeer! (

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Bird of the Week: Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis Compiled by Niyati Acharya In adult male Northern Cardinals, the upperparts are bright red with darker wings and tail. The head is crested. The area around the bill…

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Bird of the Week: Reddish Egret

Reddish Egret Egretta rufescens Content and photos by James Giroux The Reddish Egret is the least common of all the North American Egrets.  Plume hunters in the late…

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Bird of the Week: Common Nighthawk

Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor Compiled by Lisa S. Graham As the light fades in the evening, you may see a long-winged silhouette against the dimming light—looping, gliding, and darting with…

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Bird of the Week: Tricolored Heron

Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor Compiled by Yvonne Karnath   If you spend most of your birding time around Travis County, you probably think of the Tricolored Heron as a…

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Bird of the Week: Greater Roadrunner

Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus Compiled by Niyati Acharya   Armed with a battery of physiological and behavioral adaptations, the Greater Roadrunner thrives in arid regions, in the…

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Bird of the Week: Chestnut-sided Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler Setophaga pensylvanica   Content and photos by James Giroux   As mentioned in previous Bird of the Week articles, I live in Southwest Austin on a greenbelt, and…

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Bird of the Week: Orchard Oriole

Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius Compiled by Liam Molina   Orchard Orioles are the smallest orioles in North America, identifiable with their sharp, pointed bills. Males…

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Bird of the Week: Northern Parula

Northern Parula Setophaga americana Compiled by Liam Molina   The Northern Parula is a small warbler, and can be difficult to spot as it tends…

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Bird of the Week – Yellow-throated Vireo

Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons   Content and photos by James Giroux I live in Southwest Austin on a greenbelt, and I get a pretty good sampling of migrants and…

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Bird of the Week: The Sharp-Shinned Hawk

Sharp-Shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) Compiled by Lisa S. Graham.    The Sharp-shinned Hawk is a small forest raptor known for its lightning-fast flight and surprise attacks on smaller birds….

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