The purpose of this guide is to provide a list of research resources for anyone interested in learning about native birds of the lower Rio Grande Valley of deep South Texas, including the green jay, chachalaca, great kiskadee, hook-billed ite, white-tipped dove, common pauraque, and couch's kingbird. Included in this research guide are links to our archival and digital collections along with recommendations for reference materials and books from our catalog. Also included are resources available from external sources.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas stretches across 4,300 square miles and four counties - Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy. The LRGV is home to more than 500 species making it one of the most popular birding areas in the United States. Birds play an important role in the building of a healthy ecosystem by dispersing seeds especially of native plants. They also serve as pollinators and feed on a variety of insects, rodents and other small animals ensuring a proper balance in their ecosystem.
Green Jays (Cyanocorax yncas) are typically found where there is sufficient cover and dense forested areas. The best way to see these South Texas specialties is to travel to one of the area’s great refuges and parks, such as Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge and Sabal Palm Grove near the visitor center feeders. Though these loud birds are hard to miss in the open, they can be hard to spot among the leaves when they are silent and still.
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Cool facts: The oldest recorded Green Jay was at least 11 years, 7 months old and lived in Texas.
Permanent resident.
Plain Chachalaca (Ortalis vetula) is a locally common resident throughout the Valley, occupying dense woodlands from Falcon Dam to the Laguna Madre. Most often seen at refuge feeders these noisy birds often travel in small groups, yet sometimes are found in large groups of up to 30 birds or more. Chachalacas are often seen foraging along the ground, climbing in trees, or gliding from the mid-canopy levels of tall shade trees. These birds feed in trees or on the ground on fruit, diet in south Texas is mostly vegetarian including berries of coyotillo, pigeonberry, and hackberry plus seeds, leaves, buds, and flowers. Also eats a few insects and snails.
Permanent resident.
The Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus), named for its ringing kis-ka-dee calls, is part of the tryrant flycather family. This common, noisy, omnivorous bird can be found in open grasslands with scattered trees to urban areas. Its radiant pattern is unique in North America but in tropical areas these birds look almost identical to other flycatchers. These birds can be found mostly in South Texas, Central America and Argentina they are also very common in Bermuda, where they were introduced in the 1950's in attempt to control the number of lizards. Kiskadees like to hunt on their own or in pairs, this aggressive bird has a strong maneuverable flight that helps catch insects in the air, it also grabs lizards from tree trunks, eats many berries, and even plunges into ponds to catch small fish.
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Permanent resident throughout its range. Very rarely strays north to Arizona (from western Mexico) and Louisiana.
Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus) a permanent resident, most commonly found in Hidalgo and Starr Counties. These birds like to wander to areas where there is high concentration of tree snails. Part of the Hawk and Eagle family, this sluggish tropical hawk was found in south Texas in 1964 and has frequented the area since 1975. They tend to flock in groups and are most often seen from April through October. (Photo by John Arvin. Image Source: World Birding Center)
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Apparently permanent resident throughout its range; present year-round in southern Texas.
The White-tipped Dove (Leptotila verreauxi) part of the pigeons and dove family is a common resident throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Often seen in dense woodlands and identifiable by it's distinctive low pitched wo-woo-ooo call. These birds feed on berries and fruits near the ground including those of hackberry and prickly pear cactus. (Photo by Brad McKinney. Image Source: World Birding Center)
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Learn more: Factors Influencing Nest Survival of White-tipped Doves in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas
Permanent resident throughout its range.
Image Source: Kingfisher Newsletter, Vol.11, No. 1 (2014)
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Permanent resident, but less conspicuous in winter.
Couch's Kingbird (Tyrannus couchii) are most often seen perched on telephone lines along highways. These migratory birds are easier to spot in the summertime and can be found in a variety of habitats including urban areas, woodlands and on trees near water. The Couch’s Kingbird is named for Lieutenant Darius Nash Couch, a naturalist and soldier from the United States who collected the first scientific specimen near San Diego, Nuevo León, Mexico, in 1853. (Photo by John Arvin. Image Source: World Birding Center).
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Strange fact: RGV is home to the least popular bird in the United States, the Couch Kingbird.
Present all year in southern Texas, but more common in summer; winter numbers are variable. Rarely strays north along Gulf Coast; accidental east to Florida.
The reference files contain articles, clippings, flyers, brochures, maps, and other ephemera collected by the Library Special Collections on topics concerning the Lower Rio Grande Valley Collection pertaining to the geographic region of southern Texas and northeastern Mexico. Many of these materials are protected by U.S. Copyright Law.
The Congressional Papers of Rubén Hinojosa consists of 291 linear feet of materials dating from 1997 - 2016. The papers were created during Rubén Hinojosa's time as an elected official in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1997 - 2016, representing the 15th Congressional District in South Texas. The collection consists of legislative material as well as casework of local projects and issues.
Selected photographs from Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge was founded on 2,088 acres in 1943 and is home to nearly 400 bird species, and on the migration route of thousands of birds. Half of all butterfly species found in North America may be found in Santa Ana, and 450 types of plants. It has also been the home of the ocelot and jaguarundi. An ancient Spanish cemetery resides within its borders surrounded by 100-year-old hand-hewn ebony fence.
Adela Cadena is a Library Assistant II with UTRGV Special Collections and Archives. She joined the legacy institution, UTPA, in 2002. Adela earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from UTRGV in 2019. She has over 20 years working in academic and public libraries and is passionate about customer service.
A Birder's Guide to the Rio Grande Valley by
A Birder's Guide to the Rio Grande Valley is designed to help you locate not only the specialty birds of the Rio Grande Valley not occurring elsewhere in North America but also to find the more common birds of the region. Birding begins in the wonderland of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, detailing routes designed to help you make the most of your visit at any time of year. The guide deviates from the Valley to cover the Edwards Plateau, the Davis Mountains, the Pecos Valley, and Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Special attention is given to the world-renowned regional hotspots: Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, Big Bend National Park, and the Davis Mountains, as well as the El Paso and Las Cruces, NM areas. In addition to descriptions of over 230 birding sites, the authors have completely updated the Annotated Checklist, covering more than 500 species.
The Birds of North America by 
The Birds of Texas by
The Birds of Texas, by John L. Tveten, offers bird watchers something no field guide ever has: outstanding color photography and authoritative information on Texas birds put together in a beautifully crafted book.
Birds of the Texas Coastal Bend by
The Texas Coastal Bend is the richest bird country in North America north of the tropics, with nearly five hundred species recorded. Only Texas as a whole and California among the states can boast more species sightings than this small region
A field guide to the birds of Texas by
This volume is Peterson's "A Field Guide to the Birds of Texas", a comprehensive guide to birds native to Texas, with illustrations, both in color and in black and white, by Peterson, to accompany information on the appearance, location, and voice of the birds.
Quinta Mazatlan by
Quinta Mazatlan: A Visual Journey, is a celebration of the architectural and cultural wonders of McAllen's most distinctive mansion and landscape. ? Photographer Deval Pino Shah and writer Eileen Mattei collaborated on the 30-page book in advanced photo album format (instead of offset printing). Filled with stunning images by Shah, the book presents new artistic and historical perspectives of one of Texas' largest adobe homes and its surrounding environment.Quinta Mazatlan is also one of nine World Birding Centers in the Rio Grande Valley. More than 250 species of birds are attracted to the native habitat, and that brings in birders to see exotic residents such as Kiskadees, Groove-billed Anis, and Red-crowned Parrots.? Pino Shah is a photographer based in McAllen, Texas, and Ahmedabad, India who specializes in world heritage architecture and the performing arts (ArtByPino.com).? A? freelance writer based in the Rio Grande Valley,? Eileen Mattei writes? travel, nature and history articles for? Texas Coop Power, Texas Highways, and other magazines.? ? She is the author of? At the Crossroads: Harlingen's First 100 Years;? Leading the Way: McAllen's First 100 Years, and For the Good of My Patients: The History of Medicine in the Rio Grande Valley.
Notes on the ornithology of southern Texas, being a list of birds observed in the vicinity of Fort Brown, Texas, from February, 1876, to June, 1878 by In January 1976 several reports were collected by officials of sightings of an enormous, man-sized bird that was seen soaring through the skies. in South Texas eyewitnesses described this big bird to be around 5 feet tall with wings folded around its body and large dark red eyes. Feathers found by eyewitness claimed that they were over 3 feet long and 3 inches wide. Sighting of this big bird continued for a few months in the Valley and up to San Antonio.
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