Cool birds I've seen in South Padre Island, Texas
I'm having so much fun seeing/identifying all the incredible birds here. Here are a few of my favorites.
Green Jay - When I saw this one I recognized it had to be in the Jay family but was just floored by it's bright colors. Like other jays and crows, this species is an incredibly versatile forager equally comfortable at picking, gleaning, pouncing, and even flycatching. Green Jays use sticks to pry up loose bark, exposing insect prey. They are among the few North American bird species known to use tools. They are excellent mimics. In Texas, they may imitate the call of various hawks to frighten away other bird species (such as Plain Chachalacas) from food they want to eat. I didn't get to hear them doing this but would love to!
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Long-billed Thrasher - I can't get over the eyes on this one! The Long-billed Thrasher looks a lot like the Brown Thrasher of the eastern U.S. but lives in the dry, brushy landscapes of southeast Texas and northeastern Mexico. It's a rich brown bird with heavy black streaking on white underparts, a grayish face, and an orange eye. Like other thrashers, it lives in dense brush and spends much of its time scratching or tossing leaves aside to catch insects on the ground.
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The colorful Great Kiskadee - They are are large, blocky flycatchers. They have a large head, thick neck, and straight, very stout bill. The wings are broad and rounded and the tail is medium length and square tipped. These are bold, loud birds that quickly make their presence known. They sit on exposed branches near the tops of trees, often above water, where they give a piercing kis-ka-dee call and dart out to catch flying insects or pluck food—often small fish—from the water. They also eat fruit and sometimes come to feeders.
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I watched this adorable Orange-crowned Warbler bathing. They are are small songbirds. Compared with other warblers, they have noticeably thin, sharply pointed bills. They have short wings and short, square tails.
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And to top it off a few the gorgeous Northern Cardinal - mostly male but I did catch one female shot.
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