Bird of the Week: Blackburnian Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler Setophaga fusca Compiled by Yvonne Karnath Some birds you have to work for in Central Texas. The Blackburnian Warbler is one of them. It…

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Bird of the Week: Painted Bunting

Painted Bunting Passerina ciris Compiled by Niyati Acharya Female Painted Buntings have a distinctive bright green with a pale eyering. They are songbirds and…

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Bird of the Week: American Oystercatcher

American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus Content and photos by James Giroux Most shorebirds are not known for their vibrant colors or contrasting plumage. But the American Oystercatcher is an…

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Bird of the Week: Nashville Warbler

Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla) Compiled by Lisa Graham Small but full of personality, the Nashville Warbler brings a burst of color and energy to forests, thickets, and shrubby woodlands across…

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Bird of the Week: Forster’s Tern

Forster’s Tern Sterna forsteri Compiled by Liam Molina Supplemental Information by Jane Tillman, Travis Audubon Volunteer   Recently featured in our August Bird Forecast, the Forster’s Tern is…

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Bird of the Week: Snowy Egret

Photo by Yvonne Karnath Snowy Egret Egretta thula Compiled by Yvonne Karnath If the Tricolored Heron is the dancer of our shorelines, the Snowy Egret…

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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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