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Bird of the Week: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius Written and compiled by Lindsey Hernandez Sources: Texas Parks and Wildlife, All About Birds, Travis Audubon Society, American Bird Conservancy, Ovid’s Metamorphoses A common woodpecker on the smaller side,…
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Bird of the Week: Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Painting 1916 Robert Bruce Horsfall. Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) The Yellow-billed Cuckoo arrives in the Texas hill country in late spring and leaves in mid-September when they migrate to…
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Bird of the Week: Northern Cardinal
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Northern Cardinals are one of the most popular birds in North America, and many people confess that the Cardinal is the bird that got them started…
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Bird of the Week: Brown-headed Cowbird
The Brown-headed Cowbird is aptly named. The male is, well, a brown-headed cowbird. They have a glossy black body, an entirely brown head, and are frequently seen around cow…
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Bird of the Week: Green Heron
Photo by Daniel VanWart Let me introduce you to the Green Heron, my favorite bird. The few times I’ve mentioned this fact to my friends after we…
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Bird of the Week: Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Dryobates scalaris) Like their name suggests, the Ladder-backed Woodpecker has stripes of alternating black and white running along their backs, and the males sport a striking red cap…
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Bird of the Week: Pyrrhuloxia
Adult female Pyrrhuloxia. Courtesy of Mike Charest. Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus) Often called the Desert Cardinal, the Pyrrhuloxia is gray or brown with…
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Bird of the Week: Belted Kingfisher
Photo credit: Johann Schumacher Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) By Abby West There’s no shortage of gorgeous photos of kingfishers on the internet. These peculiar birds fly sort of like a…
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Bird of the Week: Black-chinned Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) Regardless of the species, it’s always a thrill to see hummingbirds at my feeder. Their graceful flight coupled with their active defense of the food source…
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Bird of the Week: Chimney Swift
Many Chimney Swifts circling the top of a chimney. Photo credit: Ben Cvengros. Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) The sleek, elegant, speedy Chimney Swift brings summer to life for many…
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Bird of the Week: Red Knot
Red Knot (Calidris canutus) Red Knots are sandpipers that migrate long distances. In fact, one Red Knot banded in Argentina in 1992 still “commutes” annually for 20,000 miles, flying between…
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Bird of the Week: Zone-tailed Hawk
A Zone-tailed Hawk in flight. Photo by Erick Houli. Before either of us got interested in bird-watching, my husband had a funny…
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Bird of the Week: American Goldfinch
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) The American Goldfinch has the honor of being the state bird for three states: New Jersey, Iowa, and Washington. This small finch lives in central Texas…
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Bird of the Week: Eastern Whip-poor-will
Photo credit: Tom Murray, Flickr. Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus) Snuggled down in forested ground, the Whip-poor-will blends in perfectly with their surrounding of…
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Bird of the Week: Plain Chachalaca
Photo courtesy of Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Plain chachalaca (Ortalis vetula) I admit that part of my attraction to Chachalacas is…
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