Why is Texas the place to go for a top birding experience? there are plenty of reasons!
1- Texas is in the top 20 to 30 birding areas on earth, according to three recently published books on the subject.
2- At 642 bird species, Texas offers the richest land or terrestrial birding in the US and Canada, because of its variety of habitats (Texas has 12 regions with multiple habitats each) and due to its geographic location on the continent.
3- Temperate Eastern, Temperate Western, and tropical bird species meet, and their ranges overlap in Texas, putting Texas at the birding crossroads of birding the Americas.
4- 98% of U.S. neo-tropical migrant species and about 67% of U.S. breeding species use the Texas Coast. The Texas coastline is 367 miles, but due to islands and inlets, Texas beaches and their associated coastal plains and wetlands run 3,300 miles offering plenty of coastal habitats for birds.
5- The heaviest spring migration numbers on earth have been measured on the south Texas coast as reported by scientists at Texas A&M University because Texas lies under the migration routes for both land migrants and cross Gulf migrants between north and south America.
6- The richest birding in Texas is found along the coast and along the Rio Grande River. So, for example, Big Bend located on the river has 451 recorded species, and the Lower Rio Grande Valley floodplain at the intersection of the river and the coast has 538 species, making it the richest birding location in both Texas and the United States, and a top world location as well.
We believe these are just some of the best reasons why Texas is the birding destination local, national and international birders can’t wait to visit.
This list was compiled and presented by Texas Birding chairman of the board Keith Hackland.