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The 825,000 acres encompassing King Ranch are home to a wide variety of rare birds. The only record of a double-striped thick-knee north of Mexico occurred on King Ranch in 1964. |
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 Two records exist on King Ranch of jabiru sightings. Three records exist of Eurasian wigeon sightings. A garganey was sighted on King Ranch this past winter, only the fourth such sighting in the state of Texas. Other rare and incidental occurrences involve American swallow-tailed kites, masked ducks, red-billed pigeons, and Townsend's warblers. King Ranch is also home to the largest population of ferruginous pygmy owls and tropical parulas in the entire U.S. In addition, there are sizeable breeding populations of white-tailed hawks, northern beardless-tyrannulets, and Botteri's sparrows, all of which are listed as threatened in Texas.
 The coastal areas of King Ranch are considered especially critical as wildlife habitat. These coastal pastures are some of the most pristine and undeveloped lands in south Texas. The Laguna Larga lake on the Laureles Division is considered to be the largest natural wetland in south Texas. The King Ranch coastline serves as a major wintering area for redhead ducks and other waterfowl and shorebirds. This area is also an important nesting area for mottled ducks. The Peregrine Fund has chosen the coastal areas of King Ranch's Norias and Laureles divisions as release sites for the federally endangered aplomado falcon because the unique habitat qualities on these pastures appear to be ideal for this extremely rare falcon.
Also each year, two separate Christmas Bird Counts, sponsored by the National Audubon Society, are conducted on routes through portions of King Ranch. One of these routes annually ranks within the top 10 in the state and top 25 nationally (out of over 1,700 routes) in terms of numbers of different bird species recorded.
Texas Bird List
Order follows A Checklist of Texas Birds. 1999.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Technical Series No. 32
Birds with asterisks have been seen on King Ranch.
Click here to download a PDF of this list.
Loons
Red Throated Loon
Common Loon*
Yellow-billed Loon
Grebes
Least Grebe*
Pied-billed Grebe*
Horned Grebe*
Red-necked Grebe
Eared Grebe*
Western Grebe
Albatross, Boobies and Relatives
Yellow-nosed Albatross
Cory's Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel
Masked Booby
Blue-footed Booby
Brown Booby
Northern Gannet
Pelicans
American White Pelican*
Brown Pelican*
Cormorants, Anhinga and Frigatebird
Double-crested Cormorant*
Neotropic Cormorant*
Anhinga*
Magnificent Frigatebird*
Bitterns and Herons
American Bittern*
Least Bittern*
Great Blue Heron*
Great Egret*
Snowy Egret*
Little Blue Heron*
Tricolored Heron*
Reddish Egret*
Cattle Egret*
Green Heron*
Black-crowned Night Heron*
Yellow-crowned Night Heron*
Ibises and Spoonbill
White Ibis*
Glossy Ibis
White-faced Ibis*
Roseate Spoonbill*
Storks
Jabiru*
Wood Stork*
American Vultures
Black Vulture*
Turkey Vulture*
Flamingo
Greater Flamingo
Whistling-Ducks, Geese, Swans and Ducks
Black-bellied Whistling Duck*
Fulvous Whistling Duck*
Greater White-fronted Goose*
Snow Goose*
Ross's Goose*
Canada Goose*
Brant
Barnacle Goose
Trumpeter Swan
Tundra Swan*
Muscovy Duck
Wood Duck*
Gadwall*
Eurasian Wigeon*
American Wigeon*
Mallard*
Mottled Duck*
Blue-Winged Teal*
Cinnamon Teal*
Northern Shoveler*
White-cheeked Pintail
Northern Pintail*
Garganey*
Green-winged Teal*
Canvasback*
Redhead*
Ring-necked Duck*
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup*
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter*
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Oldsquaw
Bufflehead*
Common Goldeneye*
Hooded Merganser*
Red-breasted Merganser*
Common Merganser*
Masked Duck*
Ruddy Duck*
Osprey, Kites, Eagles and Hawks
Osprey*
Hooked-billed Kite
Am. Swallow-tailed Kite*
White-tailed Kite*
Snail Kite
Mississippi Kite*
Bald Eagle*
Northern Harrier*
Sharp-shinned Hawk*
Cooper's Hawk*
Northern Goshawk
Crane Hawk
Gray Hawk*
Common Black-Hawk
Harris's Hawk*
Roadside Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk*
Broad-winged Hawk*
Short-tailed Hawk
Swainson's Hawk*
White-tailed Hawk*
Zone-tailed Hawk*
Red-tailed Hawk*
Ferruginous Hawk*
Rough-legged Hawk
Golden Eagle*
Forest Falcon, Caracara and Falcons
Collared Forest Falcon
Crested Caracara*
American Kestrel*
Merlin*
Aplomado Falcon*
Peregrine Falcon*
Prairie Falcon*
Chachalaca, Turkey, Quail and Pheasant
Plain Chachalaca
Wild Turkey*
Scaled Quail*
Northern Bobwhite*
Rails, Gallinules and Coots
Yellow Rail
Black Rail*
Clapper Rail*
King Rail*
Virginia Rail*
Sora*
Purple Gallinule*
Common Moorhen*
American Coot*
Cranes
Sandhill Crane*
Whooping Crane
Thick-knee and Plovers
Double-striped Thick-knee*
Black-bellied Plover*
American Golden Plover*
Snowy Plover*
Wilson's Plover*
Semipalmated Plover*
Piping Plover*
Killdeer*
Mountain Plover*
Oystercatcher
American Oystercatcher*
Stilt, Avocet and Jacana
Black-necked Stilt*
American Avocet*
Northern Jacana
Sandpipers and Phalaropes
Greater Yellowlegs*
Lesser Yellowlegs*
Solitary Sandpiper*
Willet*
Spotted Sandpiper*
Upland Sandpiper*
Eskimo Curlew
Whimbrel*
Long-billed Curlew*
Hudsonian Godwit*
Marbled Godwit*
Ruddy Turnstone*
Red Knot
Sanderling*
Semipalmated Sandpiper*
Western Sandpiper*
Least Sandpiper*
White-rumped Sandpiper*
Baird's Sandpiper*
Pectoral Sandpiper*
Purple Sandpiper
Dunlin*
Curlew Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper*
Buff-breasted Sandpiper*
Ruff / Reeve
Short-billed Dowitcher*
Long-billed Dowitcher*
Wilson's Snipe*
American Woodcock*
Wilson's Phalarope*
Red-necked Phalarope*
Red Phalarope
Gulls, Terns and Skimmer
Pomarine Jaeger
Parasitic Jaeger
Long-tailed Jaeger
Laughing Gull*
Franklin's Gull*
Bonaparte's Gull*
Ring-billed Gull*
California Gull
Herring Gull*
Thayer's Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Slaty-backed Gull
Western Gull
Glaucous Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Sabine's Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake
Gull-billed Tern*
Caspian Tern*
Royal Tern*
Sandwich Tern*
Roseate Tern
Common Tern*
Forster's Tern*
Least Tern*
Bridled Tern
Sooty Tern
Black Tern*
Brown Noddy
Black Skimmer*
Pigeons and Doves
Rock Dove*
White-crowned Pigeon
Red-billed Pigeon*
Eurasian Collared-Dove*
White-Winged Dove*
Mourning Dove*
Inca Dove*
Common Ground Dove*
Ruddy Ground Dove
White-tipped Dove*
Ruddy Quail-Dove
Parakeet and Parrots
Green Parakeet
Red-crowned Parrot
Cuckoos, Roadrunner and Ani
Black-billed Cuckoo*
Yellow-billed Cuckoo*
Mangrove Cuckoo
Dark-billed Cuckoo
Greater Roadrunner*
Groove-billed Ani*
Owls
Barn Owl*
Eastern Screech-Owl*
Great Horned Owl*
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl*
Elf Owl
Burrowing Owl*
Mottled Owl
Barred Owl
Long-eared Owl
Stygian Owl
Short-eared Owl*
Nightjars and Swifts
Lesser Nighthawk*
Common Nighthawk*
Common Paraque*
Common Poorwill
Chuck-will's Widow*
Whip-poor-will*
Black Swift
White-collared Swift
Chimney Swift* |
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Hummingbirds and Trogon
Green Violet-ear
Green-breasted Mango
Broad-billed Hummingbird
White-eared Hummingbird
Buff-bellied Hummingbird*
Blue-throated Hummingbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird*
Black-chinned Hummingbird*
Anna's Hummingbird*
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird*
Elegant Trogon
Kingfishers
Ringed Kingfisher*
Belted Kingfisher*
Green Kingfisher
Woodpeckers
Red-headed Woodpecker*
Golden-fronted Woodpecker*
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker*
Ladder-backed Woodpecker*
Northern Flicker*
Tyrant Flycatchers
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet*
Olive-sided Flycatcher*
Greater Pewee
Western Wood-Pewee
Eastern Wood-Pewee*
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher*
Acadian Flycatcher*
Alder Flycatcher*
Willow Flycatcher*
Least Flycatcher*
Cordilleran Flycatcher
Black Phoebe*
Eastern Phoebe*
Says Phoebe*
Vermilion Flycatcher*
Ash-throated Flycatcher*
Great Crested Flycatcher*
Brown Crested Flycatcher*
Great Kiskadee*
Social Flycatcher
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Couch's Kingbird*
Cassin's Kingbird*
Western Kingbird*
Eastern Kingbird*
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher*
Fork-tailed Flycatche
Rose-throated Becard*
Masked Tityra
Shrike and Vireos
Loggerhead Shrike*
White-eyed Vireo*
Bell's Vireo*
Black-capped Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo*
Cassin's Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo*
Warbling Vireo*
Philadelphia Vireo*
Red-eyed Vireo*
Yellow-Green Vireo
Black-whiskered Vireo
Jays, Crow and Raven
Blue Jay*
Green Jay*
Brown Jay
Tamaulipas Crow*
Chihuahuan Raven*
Larks and Swallows
Horned Lark*
Purple Martin*
Gray-breasted Martin
Tree Swallow*
Violet-green Swallow
No. Rough-winged Swallow*
Bank Swallow*
Cliff Swallow*
Cave Swallow*
Barn Swallow*
Titmouse, Verdin, Huthatch and Creeper
Carolina Chickadee
Black-crested Titmouse*
Verdin*
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper*
Wrens
Cactus Wren*
Rock Wren
Canyon Wren
Carolina Wren*
Bewick's Wren*
House Wren*
Winter Wren*
Sedge Wren*
Marsh Wren*
Kinglets and Gnatcatchers
Golden-crowned Kinglet*
Ruby-crowned Kinglet*
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher*
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
Wheatear and Thrushes
Northern Wheatear
Eastern Bluebird*
Western Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird*
Townsend's Solitaire
Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush
Veery*
Gray-cheeked Thrush*
Swainson's Thrush*
Hermit Thrush*
Wood Thrush*
Clay-colored Robin*
White-throated Robin
Rufous-backed Robin
American Robin*
Aztec Thrush
Mimics and Thrashers
Gray Catbird*
Black Catbird
Northern Mockingbird*
Sage Thrasher*
Brown Thrasher*
Long-billed Thrasher*
Curve-billed Thrasher*
Blue Mockingbird
Starling, Pipits and Waxwing
European Starling*
American Pipit*
Sprague's Pipit*
Cedar Waxwing*
Silky-Flycatchers
Gray Silky-Flycatcher
Phainopepla
Wood Warblers
Blue-winged Warbler*
Golden-winged Warbler*
Tennessee Warbler*
Orange-crowned Warbler*
Nashville Warbler*
Virginia's Warbler
Colima Warbler
Northern Parula*
Tropical Parula*
Yellow Warbler*
Chestnut-sided Warbler*
Magnolia Warbler*
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler*
Black-throated Gray Warbler*
Townsend's Warbler*
Hermit Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler*
Golden-cheeked Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler*
Yellow-throated Warbler*
Pine Warbler*
Prairie Warbler*
Palm Warbler*
Bay-breasted Warbler*
Blackpoll Warbler
Cerulean Warbler*
Black-and-white Warbler*
American Redstart*
Prothonotary Warbler*
Worm-eating Warbler*
Swainson's Warbler*
Ovenbird*
Northern Waterthrush*
Louisiana Waterthrush*
Kentucky Warbler*
Connecticut Warbler
Mourning Warbler*
MacGillivray's Warbler
Common Yellowthroat*
Gray-crowned Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler*
Wilson's Warbler*
Canada Warbler*
Red-faced Warbler
Painted Redstart
Golden-crowned Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat*
Tanagers
Hepatic Tanager
Summer Tanager*
Scarlet Tanager*
Western Tanager
Sparrows
White-collared Seedeater
Yellow-faced Grassquit
Olive Sparrow*
Green-tailed Towhee*
Eastern Towhee*
Spotted Towhee*
Brewer's Sparrow
Canyon Towhee
Botteri's Sparrow*
Cassin's Sparrow*
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow*
Clay-colored Sparrow*
Field Sparrow*
Vesper Sparrow*
Lark Sparrow*
Black-throated Sparrow*
Lark Bunting*
Savannah Sparrow*
Baird's Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow*
Le Conte's Sparrow*
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
Fox Sparrow*
Song Sparrow*
Lincoln's Sparrow*
Swamp Sparrow*
White-throated Sparrow*
Harris's Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow*
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
McCown's Longspur
Smith's Longspur
Chestnut-collared Longspur*
Cardinals and Grosbeaks
Crimson-collared Grosbeak
Northern Cardinal*
Pyrrhuloxia*
Rose-breasted Grosbeak*
Black-headed Grosbeak
Blue Bunting
Blue Grosbeak*
Lazuli Bunting*
Indigo Bunting*
Varied Bunting
Painted Bunting*
Dickcissel*
Blackbirds and Orioles
Bobolink*
Red-winged Blackbird*
Eastern Meadowlark*
Western Meadowlark*
Yellow-headed Blackbird*
Rusty Blackbird*
Brewer's Blackbird*
Common Grackle*
Great-tailed Grackle*
Bronzed Cowbird*
Brown-headed Cowbird*
Orchard Oriole*
Hooded Oriole*
Altamira Oriole
Audubon's Oriole*
Baltimore Oriole*
Bullock's Oriole*
Scott's Oriole
Finches and Weaver Finch
Purple Finch
House Finch
Red Crossbill
Pine Siskin*
Lesser Goldfinch*
American Goldfinch*
House Sparrow* |
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