Estero Llano Grande

TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE BIRDS OF ESTERO LLANO GRANDE S T A T E P A R K WORLD BIRDING CENTER A FIELD CHECKLIST 2018 INTRODUCTION E stero Llano Grande State Park, the Weslaco wing of the World Birding Center, encompasses approximately 250 acres of restored wetlands and subtropical thorn-scrub forest. The park is located in the heart of the subtropical Lower Rio Grande Valley, a four-county area that has unmatched biotic diversity, documenting over 500 species of birds, over 300 species of butterflies and over a thousand species of plants. Estero Llano Grande State Park is seated at the geographic center of the World Birding Center network and is the site with the largest wetlands environment. A former agricultural field has been restored to thriving wetlands and flourishing woodlands through cooperative efforts from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the World Birding Center, the City of Weslaco and Ducks Unlimited. Since its opening in June 2006, Estero Llano Grande State Park has documented 346 species of birds. Many of these birds are subtropical species typical of eastern Mexico and are not found north of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Some of these “Specialty Birds” of the park include Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Plain Chachalaca, Least Grebe, Neotropic Cormorant, Red-crowned Parrot, Groove-billed Ani, Green and Ringed Kingfishers, Great Kiskadee, Green Jay and Altamira Oriole. This checklist, compiled by John Arvin and updated by park staff, is based on observations by numerous individuals and includes species which have been observed within or passing over the park. Nomenclature and organization for this checklist follow the American Ornithological Society Society Checklist of North American Birds as currently supplemented. For information on how to contribute your sightings to a worldwide bird database, visit eBird online at www.ebird.org. We would greatly appreciate reports with details or photos of any bird designated as rare, accidental (x), or not on this list. Estero Llano Grande State Park 154-A Lakeview Dr (mailing address) 3301 International Blvd (physical address) Weslaco TX 78596 (956) 565-3919, fax (956) 565-2864 Or find us on Facebook Please help us protect the natural avian communities in our parks by refraining from using playback tapes of bird songs. Frequent use of these tapes disrupts normal avian activity patterns and essential territorial behavior, and may lead to nest failure. Thank you for your cooperation. 1 LEGEND c f u r x – – – – – Common (Present, easy to find) Fairly common (Present, should see or hear) Uncommon (Present, harder to find) Rare (Present, hard to find, or may not occur every year) Accidental (not usually present, lost, result of an event) Sp S F W – – – – Spring (March, April, May) Summer (June, July, August) Fall (September, October, November) Winter (December, January, February) Underlined birds indicate park specialties. Cover: Illustration of Belted, Green and Ringed Kingfishers by Clemente Guzman. 2 CHECKLIST Sp S F W Geese and Ducks ____ Black-bellied Whistling-Duck...........................c c c c ____ Fulvous Whistling-Duck....................................f f r r ____ Snow Goose...................................................... f f ____ Ross’s Goose.................................................... u u ____ Greater White-fronted Goose............................ f f ____ Canada Goose................................................... x ____ Blue-winged Teal..............................................c u c c ____ Cinnamon Teal.................................................c c c ____ Northern Shoveler............................................c u c c ____ Wood Duck...................................................... r r ____ Gadwall............................................................c c c ____ American Wigeon.............................................f f f ____ Mallard............................................................x x x x ____ Mexican Duck (Mallard ssp.) ..........................u u u u ____ Mottled Duck...................................................c c c c ____ Northern Pintail................................................c c c ____ Green-winged Teal............................................c c c ____ Canvasback......................................................r r r ____ Redhead...........................................................u u u ____ Ring-necked Duck............................................c c c ____ Greater Scaup...................................................r r r ____ Lesser Scaup....................................................u u u ____ Bufflehead........................................................r r r ____ Hooded Merganser...........................................r r r ____ Red-breasted Merganser.................................. r ____ Masked Duck...................................................x ____ Ruddy Duck.....................................................c r c c 3 Sp S F Upland Game Birds ____ Plain Chachalaca..............................................c c c ____ Northern Bobwhite...........................................u u u Grebes ____ Least Grebe......................................................c c c ____ Pied-billed Grebe.............................................c f c ____ Eared Grebe.....................................................r r Pigeons and Doves ____ Rock Pigeon.....................................................f f f ____ Eurasian Collared-Dove....................................f f f ____ Inca Dove.........................................................c c c ____ Common Ground- Dove....................................c c c ____ Ruddy Ground-Dove......................................... x ____ White-tipped Dove............................................c c c ____ White-winged Dove...........................................c c c ____ Mourning Dove................................................c c c Cuckoos ____ Yellow-billed Cuckoo........................................c c c ____ Black-billed Cuckoo.........................................u u ____ Greater Roadrunner.........................................x x x ____ Groove-billed Ani.............................................r c c Goatsuckers ____ Lesser Nighthawk.............................................c c c ____ Common Nighthawk.........................................c c c ____ Common Pauraque...........................................c c c ____ Chuck-will’s-widow..........................................c c ____ Eastern Whip-poor-will..................................... x Swifts ____ Chimney Swift...................................................c c c ____ White-throated Swift......................................... x 4 W c u c c r f f c c c u c x r c Sp S F W Hummingbirds ____ Blue-throated Hummingbird............................ x ____ Ruby-throated Hummingbird............................c c c ____ Black-chinned Hummingbird...........................c c f c ____ Anna’s Hummingbird........................................ x ____ Broad-tailed Hummingbird.............................. x ____ Rufous Hummingbird....................................... f f ____ Buff-bellied Hummingbird................................c c c c Rails, Gallinules, and Coots ____ Clapper Rail.....................................................x ____ King Rail...........................................................r r r ____ Virginia Rail......................................................u u u ____ Sora.................................................................c c c ____ Purple Gallinule...............................................r r r ____ Common Gallinule............................................c c c c ____ American Coot..................................................c f c c Cranes ____ Sandhill Crane..................................................u u u ____ Whooping Crane............................................... x Stilts and Avocets ____ Black-necked Stilt............................................c c c c ____ American Avocet...............................................c u c c Plovers ____ Black-bellied Plover.........................................r r ____ American Golden-Plover ..................................r ____ Semipalmated Plover........................................r r r ____ Piping Plover....................................................x ____ Killdeer............................................................c c c c Jacanas ____ Northern Jacana............................................... x x x 5 Sp S F W Sandpipers and Phalaropes ____ Upland Sandpiper.............................................u u ____ Long-billed Curlew...........................................u u u ____ Hudsonian Godwit............................................u ____ Marbled Godwit................................................ u ____ Stilt Sandpiper..................................................c c c ____ Dunlin..............................................................r r r ____ Baird’s Sandpiper.............................................u u ____ Least Sandpiper................................................c c c c ____ White-rumped Sandpiper.................................c ____ Buff-breasted Sandpiper...................................u r ____ Pectoral Sandpiper...........................................f f ____ Semipalmated Sandpiper..................................f f ____ Western Sandpiper...........................................u u u ____ Short-billed Dowitcher.....................................r r r r ____ Long-billed Dowitcher......................................c f c c ____ American Woodcock........................................ x x ____ Wilson’s Snipe..................................................c c c ____ Spotted Sandpiper............................................c c c ____ Solitary Sandpiper............................................f f f ____ Lesser Yellowlegs..............................................c f c f ____ Willet................................................................ x ____ Greater Yellowlegs............................................f f f ____ Wilson’s Phalarope...........................................c c Gulls and Terns ____ Laughing Gull...................................................c f c f ____ Franklin’s Gull..................................................f f ____ Ring-billed Gull................................................r r r ____ Herring Gull.....................................................x ____ Least Tern.........................................................c f ____ Gull-Billed Tern................................................c f r 6 Sp S F W ____ Caspian Tern....................................................f f f f ____ Black Tern........................................................f f ____ Common Tern.................................................. x ____ Forster’s Tern...................................................f f f f ____ Sandwich Tern ................................................. r ____ Black Skimmer.................................................r r r r Loons ____ Common Loon.................................................. x Storks, Frigatebirds ____ Wood Stork...................................................... u f r ____ Magnificent Frigatebird.................................... x Cormorants, Anhingas, Pelicans ____ Neotropic Cormorant.......................................c c c c ____ Double-Crested Cormorant...............................c f c ____ Anhinga............................................................c u c c ____ American White Pelican....................................r r c c ____ Brown Pelican.................................................. x Bitterns and Herons ____ American Bittern..............................................u u u ____ Least Bittern.....................................................f f u r ____ Great Blue Heron.............................................c c c c ____ Great Egret.......................................................c c c c ____ Snowy Egret......................................................c c c c ____ Little Blue Heron..............................................c c c c ____ Tricolored Heron.............................................c c c c ____ Reddish Egret...................................................x x ____ Cattle Egret.......................................................f f f f ____ Green Heron....................................................c c c f ____ Black-crowned Night-Heron.............................c c c c ____ Yellow-crowned Night-Heron............................c c c c 7 Sp S F W Ibises and Spoonbills ____ White Ibis.........................................................c c c c ____ Glossy Ibis........................................................r r ____ White-faced Ibis...............................................c c c c ____ Roseate Spoonbill.............................................c c c c New World Vultures ____ Black Vulture....................................................f f f f ____ Turkey Vulture..................................................c c c c Kites and Hawks ____ Osprey..............................................................f f f f ____ Swallow-tailed Kite...........................................r r r ____ White-tailed Kite...............................................c c c c ____ Mississippi Kite.................................................f f f ____ Northern Harrier..............................................c c c ____ Sharp-shinned Hawk........................................f f f ____ Cooper’s Hawk.................................................c u c c ____ Harris’s Hawk...................................................c c c c ____ White-tailed Hawk............................................f u f f ____ Gray Hawk........................................................u u u ____ Red-shouldered Hawk......................................c c c ____ Broad-winged Hawk.........................................c c r ____ Short-tailed Hawk............................................. x ____ Swainson’s Hawk..............................................c f c r ____ Zone-tailed Hawk.............................................r r r ____ Red-tailed Hawk...............................................u c c Owls ____ Barn Owl..........................................................c c c c ____ Eastern Screech-Owl........................................c c c c ____ Great Horned Owl............................................c c c c ____ Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl.................................... x ____ Elf Owl ............................................................ r 8 Sp S F W ____ Short-eared Owl............................................... x Kingfishers ____ Ringed Kingfisher.............................................f c c c ____ Belted Kingfisher.............................................. c c ____ Green Kingfisher...............................................c c c c Woodpeckers ____ Golden-fronted Woodpecker............................c c c c ____ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker..................................u u u ____ Ladder-backed Woodpecker.............................c c c c ____ Northern Flicker............................................... x Falcons........................................................................ ____ Crested Caracara..............................................f f f f ____ American Kestrel..............................................c c c ____ Merlin..............................................................u u u ____ Peregrine Falcon..............................................f c c ____ Prairie Falcon................................................... x Parrots and Parakeets ____ Green Parakeet.................................................r r r r ____ Red-crowned Parrot.........................................u f f u Tyrant Flycatchers, Becard ____ Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet ........................f f f f ____ Olive-sided Flycatcher......................................f f ____ Eastern Wood-Pewee........................................c c ____ Yellow-bellied Flycatcher..................................f f ____ Acadian Flycatcher...........................................f f ____ Alder Flycatcher...............................................f f ____ Willow Flycatcher.............................................f f ____ Least Flycatcher................................................c c u ____ Hammond’s Flycatcher..................................... x ____ Black Phoebe...................................................r r r r ____ Eastern Phoebe................................................ c c 9 Sp S F W ____ Say’s Phoebe.....................................................x x x ____ Vermilion Flycatcher.........................................r c c ____ Dusky-capped Flycatcher..................................x x ____ Ash-throated Flycatcher....................................r r r ____ Great-crested Flycatcher...................................c c ____ Brown-crested Flycatcher.................................c c ____ Great Kiskadee.................................................c c c c ____ Tropical Kingbird.............................................c c c c ____ Couch’s Kingbird..............................................c c c c ____ Western Kingbird..............................................f c ____ Eastern Kingbird...............................................c c ____ Scissor-tailed Flycatcher...................................c c c r ____ Rose-throated Becard.......................................x x x x Shrikes ____ Loggerhead Shrike...........................................f f f f Vireos ____ White-eyed Vireo..............................................c c c c ____ Bell’s Vireo.......................................................r r ____ Yellow-throated Vireo.......................................f f ____ Cassin’s Vireo................................................... x ____ Blue-headed Vireo............................................f f f ____ Philadelphia Vireo............................................f f ____ Warbling Vireo.................................................f f ____ Red-eyed Vireo.................................................f f Crows, Ravens and Jays ____ Green Jay..........................................................c c c c ____ Chihuahuan Raven............................................ x Larks ____ Horned Lark.....................................................r r r r Swallows ____ Purple Martin...................................................c c c 10 Sp S F W ____ Tree Swallow....................................................c u c ____ Violet-Green Swallow........................................ x ____ Northern Rough-winged Swallow......................c f c u ____ Bank Swallow...................................................u u u ____ Cliff Swallow.....................................................c c c ____ Cave Swallow....................................................c c c c ____ Barn Swallow...................................................c f c x Titmice ____ Black-crested Titmouse....................................c c c c Penduline Tits ____ Verdin..............................................................u u u u Creepers ____ Brown Creeper ................................................ x Wrens ____ House Wren .....................................................c c c ____ Winter Wren..................................................... x ____ Sedge Wren......................................................r r r ____ Marsh Wren .....................................................u u u ____ Carolina Wren..................................................c c c c ____ Bewick’s Wren..................................................f f f f ____ Cactus Wren.....................................................x x x x Gnatcachers ____ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher......................................c r c c Kinglets ____ Golden-crowned Kinglet................................... x x ____ Ruby-crowned Kinglet......................................c c c Thrushes ____ Eastern Bluebird.............................................. r ____ Veery................................................................u u ____ Gray-cheeked Thrush.......................................f f ____ Swainson’s Thrush............................................f f 11 Sp S F W ____ Hermit Thrush..................................................u u ____ Wood Thrush ...................................................u r ____ Clay-colored Thrush.........................................c c c c ____ White-throated Thrush..................................... x ____ American Robin............................................... r Mockingbirds and Thrashers ____ Gray Catbird.....................................................u u u ____ Curve-billed Thrasher.......................................c c c c ____ Long-billed Thrasher........................................c c c c ____ Sage Thrasher.................................................. x x ____ Northern Mockingbird.....................................c c c c Starlings ____ European Starling.............................................c c c c Waxwings ____ Cedar Waxwing.................................................u u Old World Sparrows ____ House Sparrow.................................................c c c c Pipits ____ American Pipit.................................................. f ____ Sprague’s Pipit.................................................. r Finches ____ House Finch..................................................... x ____ Pine Siskin.......................................................r r ____ Lesser Goldfinch...............................................c c c c ____ American Goldfinch..........................................u u Sparrows and Allies ____ Olive Sparrow...................................................c c c c ____ Green-tailed Towhee......................................... x ____ Spotted Towhee ...............................................r r r ____ Cassin’s Sparrow..............................................x x x ____ Chipping Sparrow.............................................u u u 12 Sp S F W ____ Clay-colored Sparrow.......................................u u u ____ Brewer’s Sparrow............................................. x ____ Field Sparrow...................................................u u u ____ Vesper Sparrow................................................r r ____ Lark Sparrow...................................................u u u u ____ Black-throated Sparrow...................................x ____ Lark Bunting....................................................x r ____ Savannah Sparrow............................................c c ____ Grasshopper Sparrow.......................................u u u ____ LeConte’s Sparrow............................................r r r ____ Lincoln’s Sparrow.............................................c c ____ Swamp Sparrow...............................................u u ____ White-throated Sparrow...................................x x ____ White-crowned Sparrow...................................x x ____ Dark-eyed Junco.............................................. x Icteridae: Chat, Blackbirds, Orioles ____ Yellow-breasted Chat........................................f f r ____ Yellow-headed Blackbird..................................u u u ____ Eastern Meadowlark.........................................f f f f ____ Western Meadowlark........................................ r ____ Orchard Oriole.................................................c c x ____ Hooded Oriole.................................................u u u ____ Bullock’s Oriole...............................................r r x ____ Altamira Oriole.................................................c c c c ____ Audubon’s Oriole.............................................x x ____ Baltimore Oriole..............................................c c ____ Scott’s Oriole.................................................... x ____ Red-winged Blackbird......................................c c c c ____ Bronzed Cowbird.............................................c c c f ____ Brown-headed Cowbird....................................u u u f ____ Brewer’s Blackbird...........................................r r 13 Sp S F W ____ Common Grackle............................................. x ____ Great-tailed Grackle.........................................c c c c Wood Warblers ____ Ovenbird..........................................................u u u ____ Worm-eating Warbler.......................................u u ____ Louisiana Waterthrush......................................f f ____ Northern Waterthrush ......................................f f r ____ Golden-winged Warbler ...................................u u ____ Blue-winged Warbler........................................u u ____ Black-and-white Warbler..................................c r c c ____ Prothonotary Warbler.......................................u u ____ Swainson’s Warbler..........................................u u ____ Tennessee Warbler...........................................f f ____ Orange-crowned Warbler.................................c c c ____ Nashville Warbler.............................................f f f ____ Gray-crowned Yellowthroat..............................x ____ MacGillivray’s Warbler......................................u u ____ Mourning Warbler............................................f f ____ Kentucky Warbler.............................................u u ____ Common Yellowthroat......................................c c c c ____ Hooded Warbler...............................................f f ____ American Redstart ...........................................f f ____ Cerulean Warbler.............................................u u ____ Northern Parula ..............................................f f f ____ Tropical Parula.................................................x x x u ____ Magnolia Warbler.............................................f f ____ Bay-breasted Warbler.......................................f r ____ Blackburnian Warbler......................................u u ____ Yellow Warbler.................................................c c ____ Chestnut-sided Warbler....................................u r ____ Blackpoll Warbler............................................u r ____ Black-throated Blue Warbler............................x x ____ Pine Warbler....................................................u u u 14 Sp S F W ____ Yellow-rumpedWarbler (Audubon’s)................ u u ____ Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) ....................c c c ____ Yellow-throated Warbler...................................u u u ____ Prairie Warbler.................................................r ____ Black-throated Gray Warbler............................x x x ____ Townsend’s Warbler......................................... x ____ Black-throated Green Warbler..........................c c u ____ Canada Warbler................................................u u ____ Wilson’s Warbler..............................................c c u Cardinals, Grosbeaks and Buntings ____ Summer Tanager..............................................u u u u ____ Scarlet Tanager.................................................u r ____ Western Tanager...............................................r r r ____ Crimson-collared Grosbeak..............................x x ____ Northern Cardinal............................................c c c c ____ Pyrrhuloxia......................................................r r r ____ Rose-breasted Grosbeak ..................................f f r ____ Black-headed Grosbeak ..................................r r r r ____ Blue Bunting ................................................... x ____ Blue Grosbeak..................................................u u u ____ Lazuli Bunting..................................................x x ____ Indigo Bunting.................................................u u f ____ Painted Bunting................................................f r f ____ Dickcissel.........................................................f f c r Honeycreepers ____ Red-legged Honeycreeper................................ x Exotics ____ Domestic Muscovy.............................................r r r r ____ Budgerigar........................................................r r r r ____ Yellow-headed Parrot........................................r r r r ____ Red-lored Parrot...............................................r r r r ____ Black-throated Magpie-Jay................................x x x x 15 citation Arvin, John. January 2018. Birds of Estero Llano Grande State Park: a field checklist. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Natural Resources Program, Austin, Texas. In 1983, the Texas Legislature created the Special Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Fund. This fund may be used for nongame wildlife and endangered species research and conservation, habitat acquisition and development and dissemination of information pertaining to nongame management. Money for this fund is obtained through private donations and sale of nongame wildlife art prints and stamps. This fund now gives Texans a unique opportunity to help support this state’s valuable and sensitive nongame resources. Your individual contributions and purchases of nongame art prints and stamps will help determine the level of nongame conservation activities in Texas. For more information call toll-free (1-800-792-1112) or contact: Nongame and Endangered Species Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744. TPWD receives funds from the USFWS. TPWD prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, and gender, pursuant to state and federal law. To request an accommodation or obtain information in an alternative format, please contact TPWD on a Text Telephone (TDD) at (512) 389-8915 or by Relay Texas at 7-1-1 or (800) 735-2989. If you believe you have been discriminated against by TPWD, please contact TPWD or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Diversity and Workforce Management, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041. 16 Natural Resource Program Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 4200 Smith School Road Austin, Texas 78744 © 2018 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department PWD BK P4502–179E (7/18) In accordance with Texas Depository Law, this publication is available at the Texas State Publications Clearinghouse and/or Texas Depository Libraries.