Checklist of the Birds of the Corpus Christi Area, Revised 2019
This checklist covers the area within 50 miles of downtown Corpus Christi. It extends south to about Sarita, west to about San Diego, northwest to about Beeville and north to about 10 miles north of Refugio. It includes all of Baffin Bay, Lake Corpus Christi and almost all of Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. (Also see the comprehensive list of birding sites). This checklist does not include accidental species.
LEGEND
Loc Location (Primary Area of Sightings)
L Local, occurs only in a few locations
N Occurs mostly or entirely in the northern part of the area
W Occurs mostly or entirely in the western part of the area
S Occurs mostly or entirely in the southern part of the area
G Occurs mostly or entirely near the gulf coast
Spring Spring: March, April, and May
Summer Summer: June and July
Early Fall Early Fall: August and September
Late Fall Late Fall: October and November
Winter Winter: December, January, and February
C Common, numerous, and/or seen on most trips
F Fairly common, seen or heard on about half of trips
U Uncommon, present but not often seen or heard
R Rare, seen perhaps a few times per season
I Irregular, may be rare or absent in some years
Ducks and Geese | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck | C | C | C | C | F | |
Fulvous Whistling-Duck | F | U | F | U | R | |
Snow Goose | F | F | C | |||
Ross's Goose | U | U | U | |||
Greater White-front Goose | R | U | F | C | ||
Cackling Goose | R | R | R | |||
Canada Goose | R | R | R | |||
Wood Duck | R | R | R | |||
Blue-winged Teal | C | R | C | C | C | |
Cinnamon Teal | L | F | U | F | ||
Northern Shoveler | C | R | U | C | C | |
Gadwall | C | C | C | |||
American Wigeon | C | C | C | |||
Mallard | N | R | U | U | ||
Mottled Duck | C | C | C | C | C | |
Northern Pintail | C | R | C | C | ||
Green-winged Teal | C | F | C | |||
Canvasback | R | R | U | |||
Redhead | F | R | R | F | C | |
Ring-necked Duck | U | U | C | |||
Greater Scaup | G | R | R | |||
Lesser Scaup | C | R | R | F | ||
Surf Scoter | G | R | ||||
White-winged Scoter | G | R | ||||
Black Scoter | G | R | ||||
Long-tailed Duck | R | |||||
Bufflehead | U | U | C | |||
Common Goldeneye | G | R | F | |||
Hooded Merganser | U | U | U | |||
Red-breasted Merganser | G | C | U | C | ||
Ruddy Duck | C | U | U | F | C | |
Quail and Turkey | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Northern Bobwhite | U | U | U | U | U | |
Wild Turkey | F | F | F | F | F | |
Grebes | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Least Grebe | U | U | U | U | U | |
Pied-billed Grebe | C | C | C | C | C | |
Horned Grebe | N,G | R | ||||
Eared Grebe | F | U | F | |||
Doves | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Rock Pigeon | C | C | C | C | C | |
Eurasian Collared-Dove | C | C | C | C | C | |
Inca Dove | C | C | C | C | C | |
Common Ground-Dove | F | F | F | F | F | |
White-tipped Dove | F | F | F | U | U | |
White-winged Dove | C | C | C | C | F | |
Mourning Dove | C | C | C | C | C | |
Cuckoos | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Yellow-billed Cuckoo | C | C | C | R | ||
Black-billed Cuckoo | U | |||||
Greater Roadrunner | F | F | F | F | F | |
Groove-billed Ani | F | F | F | U | R | |
Nightjars | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Lesser Nighthawk | C | C | C | |||
Common Nighthawk | C | C | C | |||
Common Pauraque | C | C | C | F | U | |
Common Poorwill | W | U | U | U | ||
Chuck-will's-widow | C | C | ||||
Eastern Whip-poor-will | F | U | R | |||
Swifts and Hummingbirds | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Chimney Swift | C | C | C | U | ||
Ruby-throated Hummingbird | C | C | C | F | R | |
Black-chinned Hummingbird | C | C | C | R | R | |
Anna's Hummingbird | R | |||||
Rufous Hummingbird | R | U | U | |||
Buff-bellied Hummingbird | C | C | C | F | U | |
Rails through Cranes | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Black Rail | L | R | R | R | R | R |
Clapper Rail | G | C | C | C | C | C |
King Rail | U | U | U | |||
Virginia Rail | C | U | C | C | ||
Sora | C | U | C | C | ||
Purple Gallinule | U | U | U | |||
Common Gallinule | C | C | C | C | C | |
American Coot | C | C | C | C | C | |
Sandhill Crane | F | C | C | |||
Whooping Crane | N | F | U | F | ||
Stilts and Oystercatcher | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Black-necked Stilt | C | C | C | C | C | |
American Avocet | C | C | C | C | C | |
American Oystercatcher | G | F | F | F | F | F |
Plovers | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Black-bellied Plover | G | C | F | C | C | C |
Am Golden Plover | F | R | ||||
Snowy Plover | G | F | F | F | F | F |
Wilson's Plover | G | C | C | C | U | R |
Semipalmated Plover | C | U | C | C | C | |
Piping Plover | G | F | F | F | F | |
Killdeer | C | C | C | C | C | |
Mountain Plover | U | R | U | U | ||
Sandpipers | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Upland Sandpiper | C | C | R | |||
Whimbrel | G | F | R | R | ||
Long-billed Curlew | C | U | C | C | C | |
Hudsonian Godwit | F | |||||
Marbled Godwit | G | C | U | C | C | C |
Ruddy Turnstone | G | C | C | C | C | C |
Red Knot | G | U | R | U | R | |
Stilt Sandpiper | F | F | U | U | ||
Sanderling | C | U | C | C | C | |
Dunlin | C | F | C | |||
Baird's Sandpiper | C | F | U | |||
Least Sandpiper | C | U | C | C | C | |
White-rumped Sandpiper | C | U | ||||
Buff-breasted Sandpiper | F | F | ||||
Pectoral Sandpiper | F | F | F | |||
Semipalmated Sandpiper | C | C | R | |||
Western Sandpiper | C | C | C | C | ||
Short-billed Dowitcher | G | C | C | C | C | |
Long-billed Dowitcher | C | U | C | C | C | |
American Woodcock | I | U | ||||
Wilson's Snipe | U | F | F | |||
Spotted Sandpiper | C | C | F | F | ||
Solitary Sandpiper | F | F | U | R | ||
Lesser Yellowlegs | C | F | C | C | C | |
Willet | G | C | C | C | C | C |
Greater Yellowlegs | C | U | C | C | C | |
Wilson's Phalarope | C | R | C | U | R | |
Gulls, Terns and Skimmer | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Pomarine Jaeger | G | U | U | U | ||
Bonaparte's Gull | G | U | F | |||
Laughing Gull | C | C | C | C | C | |
Franklin's Gull | C | C | R | |||
Ring-billed Gull | C | U | C | C | ||
California Gull | G | R | R | |||
Herring Gull | F | U | C | C | ||
Iceland Gull | G | R | ||||
Lesser Black-backed Gull | G | R | U | |||
Glaucous Gull | G | R | R | |||
Sooty Tern | G, L | U | U | |||
Least Tern | C | C | C | U | ||
Gull-billed Tern | F | F | F | F | U | |
Caspian Tern | G | C | C | C | C | C |
Black Tern | C | C | C | R | ||
Common Tern | G | C | U | C | C | |
Forster's Tern | C | C | C | C | C | |
Royal Tern | G | C | C | C | C | C |
Sandwich Tern | G | C | C | C | C | U |
Black Skimmer | G | C | C | C | C | C |
Loons through Gannet | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Pacific Loon | G | R | ||||
Common Loon | U | U | F | |||
Wood Stork | F | F | U | |||
Magnificent Frigatebird | G | U | F | F | U | |
Masked Booby | G | R | R | R | R | R |
Brown Booby | G | R | R | R | R | R |
Northern Gannet | G | U | U | U | ||
Cormorants and Pelicans | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Neotropic Cormorant | C | C | C | C | C | |
Double-crested Cormorant | C | F | C | |||
Anhinga | F | F | F | F | U | |
American White Pelican | C | F | F | C | C | |
Brown Pelican | G | C | C | C | C | C |
Herons and Egrets | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
American Bittern | U | U | U | |||
Least Bittern | L | F | F | F | U | R |
Great Blue Heron | C | C | C | C | C | |
Great Egret | C | C | C | C | C | |
Snowy Egret | C | C | C | C | C | |
Little Blue Heron | F | F | F | F | F | |
Tricolored Heron | C | C | C | C | C | |
Reddish Egret | G | C | C | C | C | C |
Cattle Egret | C | C | C | C | U | |
Green Heron | F | F | F | U | R | |
Black-crowned Night-Heron | F | F | F | F | F | |
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | F | U | F | F | U | |
Ibises and Spoonbill | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
White Ibis | C | C | C | C | C | |
Glossy Ibis | N | R | R | R | R | R |
White-faced Ibis | F | F | F | F | U | |
Roseate Spoonbill | C | C | C | C | C | |
Vultures and Hawks | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Black Vulture | C | C | C | C | C | |
Turkey Vulture | C | C | C | C | C | |
Osprey | C | R | F | C | C | |
White-tailed Kite | U | R | R | U | U | |
Swallow-tailed Kite | U | U | ||||
Northern Harrier | C | U | C | C | ||
Sharp-shinned Hawk | F | F | F | U | ||
Cooper's Hawk | C | U | F | C | C | |
Bald Eagle | L,N | U | U | U | U | U |
Mississippi Kite | F | C | ||||
Harris's Hawk | F | F | F | F | F | |
White-tailed Hawk | F | F | F | F | F | |
Red-shouldered Hawk | C | C | C | C | C | |
Broad-winged Hawk | C | C | C | |||
Swainson's Hawk | C | U | U | C | R | |
Zone-tailed Hawk | R | R | R | R | ||
Red-tailed Hawk | C | U | U | C | C | |
Ferruginous Hawk | U | |||||
Owls | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Barn Owl | U | U | U | U | U | |
Eastern Screech Owl | F | F | F | F | F | |
Great Horned Owl | C | C | C | C | C | |
Burrowing Owl | U | U | ||||
Barred Owl | F | F | F | F | F | |
Short-eared Owl | I | U | U | |||
Kingfishers | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Belted Kingfisher | F | F | C | C | ||
Green Kingfisher | U | R | R | U | U | |
Woodpeckers | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Golden-fronted Woodpecker | C | C | C | C | C | |
Red-bellied Woodpecker | N | C | C | C | C | C |
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | F | F | F | |||
Downy Woodpecker | N | F | ||||
Ladder-backed Woodpecker | F | F | F | F | F | |
Northern Flicker | I | U | U | U | ||
Falcons through Parrots | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Crested Caracara | C | C | C | C | C | |
American Kestrel | F | U | C | C | ||
Merlin | U | U | U | |||
Aplomado Falcon | L, G | U | U | U | U | U |
Peregrine | F | U | F | F | ||
Prairie Falcon | R | |||||
Monk Parakeet | L | F | F | F | F | F |
Flycatchers | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Ash-throat Flycatcher | W | F | F | U | R | R |
Great-crested Flycatcher | C | C | U | |||
Brown-crested Flycatcher | C | C | C | R | ||
Great Kiskadee | C | C | C | C | C | |
Tropical Kingbird | U | U | R | R | R | |
Couch's Kingbird | C | C | C | C | F | |
Western Kingbird | C | C | F | U | ||
Eastern Kingbird | C | C | U | |||
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher | C | C | C | C | R | |
Olive-sided Flycatcher | F | F | ||||
Eastern Wood Pewee | C | C | F | |||
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher | F | F | U | |||
Acadian Flycatcher | F | F | U | |||
Alder Flycatcher | F | F | U | |||
Willow Flycatcher | F | F | U | |||
Least Flycatcher | F | F | U | R | ||
Black Phoebe | R | |||||
Eastern Phoebe | C | F | C | |||
Say's Phoebe | W | U | ||||
Vermilion Flycatcher | F | R | R | U | F | |
Shrike and Vireos | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Loggerhead Shrike | C | C | C | C | C | |
White-eyed Vireo | C | C | C | C | C | |
Bell's Vireo | R | R | ||||
Yellow-throat Vireo | U | R | ||||
Blue-headed Vireo | C | U | C | |||
Philadelphia Vireo | F | R | R | |||
Warbling Vireo | C | U | ||||
Red-eyed Vireo | C | F | ||||
Yellow-green Vireo | R | |||||
Jays through Larks | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Green Jay | F | F | F | F | F | |
Blue Jay | I,N | R | ||||
American Crow | N | R | R | R | R | R |
Horned Lark | C | C | C | C | C | |
Swallows | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Purple Martin | C | C | C | U | ||
Tree Swallow | C | F | C | U | ||
Rough-winged Swallow | C | C | C | |||
Bank Swallow | F | F | F | |||
Cliff Swallow | C | C | C | U | ||
Cave Swallow | C | C | C | U | U | |
Barn Swallow | C | U | C | C | ||
Chickadees and allies | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Carolina Chickadee | N | U | U | U | U | U |
Black-crested Titmouse | C | C | C | C | C | |
Verdin | W | U | U | U | U | U |
Red-breasted Nuthatch | I,N | R | R | |||
Brown Creeper | I,N | R | R | |||
Wrens | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
House Wren | C | F | C | |||
Winter Wren | R | R | U | |||
Sedge Wren | C | F | C | |||
Marsh Wren | C | C | C | |||
Carolina Wren | C | C | C | C | C | |
Bewick's Wren | F | F | F | F | F | |
Cactus Wren | W,S | F | F | F | F | F |
Gnatcatchers and Kinglets | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | C | C | C | C | ||
Golden-crowned Kinglet | I | U | U | |||
Ruby-crowned Kinglet | C | C | C | C | ||
Thrushes | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Eastern Bluebird | F | U | U | F | F | |
Veery | U | R | R | |||
Gray-cheeked Thrush | F | R | R | |||
Swainson's Thrush | C | R | U | |||
Hermit Thrush | U | F | F | |||
Wood Thrush | F | R | R | |||
Clay-colored Thrush | R | |||||
American Robin | I | F | U | F | ||
Thrashers | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Gray Catbird | C | U | C | U | ||
Curve-billed Thrasher | W | F | F | F | F | F |
Brown Thrasher | N | U | U | U | ||
Long-billed Thrasher | C | C | C | C | C | |
Sage Thrasher | W, I | R | ||||
Northern Mockingbird | C | C | C | C | C | |
Starlings through Pipits | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
European Starling | C | C | C | C | C | |
Cedar Waxwing | I | F | U | F | ||
House Sparrow | C | C | C | C | C | |
American Pipit | F | C | C | |||
Sprague's Pipit | U | U | U | |||
Finches | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
House Finch | W | R | R | R | R | R |
Pine Siskin | I | U | U | U | ||
Lesser Goldfinch | F | U | U | F | F | |
American Goldfinch | F | F | C | |||
Sparrows and allies | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Olive Sparrow | F | F | F | F | F | |
Green-tailed Towhee | W | R | R | R | ||
Spotted Towhee | U | U | U | |||
Eastern Towhee | R | R | ||||
Botteri’s Sparrow | L,S | F | F | F | ||
Cassin's Sparrow | W | F | F | F | U | U |
Chipping Sparrow | C | F | C | |||
Clay-colored Sparrow | C | R | F | R | ||
Field Sparrow | U | U | U | F | F | |
Vesper Sparrow | F | C | C | |||
Lark Sparrow | C | C | C | C | C | |
Black-throated Sparrow | W | U | U | U | U | U |
Lark Bunting | I,W | U | U | U | ||
Savannah Sparrow | C | C | C | |||
Grasshopper Sparrow | F | R | R | U | F | |
Le Conte's Sparrow | U | U | U | |||
Seaside Sparrow | G | F | F | F | F | F |
Nelson's Sparrow | G | U | R | U | ||
Song Sparrow | R | R | U | |||
Lincoln's Sparrow | C | C | C | |||
Swamp Sparrow | F | U | F | |||
White-throated Sparrow | F | U | F | |||
Harris's Sparrow | R | |||||
White-crowned Sparrow | W | U | U | F | ||
Dark-eyed Junco | N | R | R | |||
Yellow-breasted Chats | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Yellow-breast Chat | C | C | U | |||
Blackbirds and Orioles | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Yellow-headed Blackbird | F | R | U | U | ||
Bobolink | R | |||||
Eastern Meadowlark | C | C | C | C | C | |
Western Meadowlark | U | U | C | |||
Orchard Oriole | C | R | C | U | ||
Hooded Oriole | S | U | U | U | ||
Bullock's Oriole | W | F | F | U | ||
Audubon's Oriole | W | F | F | F | F | F |
Baltimore Oriole | C | C | U | |||
Red-winged Blackbird | C | C | C | C | C | |
Bronzed Cowbird | C | C | C | C | U | |
Brown-headed Cowbird | C | C | C | C | C | |
Brewer's Blackbird | U | U | F | |||
Common Grackle | N | U | U | U | F | F |
Boat-tailed Grackle | L,N | C | C | C | C | C |
Great-tailed Grackle | C | C | C | C | C | |
Wood Warblers | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Ovenbird | F | U | R | |||
Wormeating Warbler | U | R | ||||
Louisiana Waterthrush | F | U | ||||
Northern Waterthrush | C | U | U | |||
Golden-winged Warbler | U | R | ||||
Blue-winged Warbler | F | R | ||||
Black-&-white Warbler | C | F | F | U | ||
Prothonotary Warbler | F | U | ||||
Swainson's Warbler | U | U | R | |||
Tennessee Warbler | C | F | F | |||
Orange-crowned Warbler | C | R | C | C | ||
Nashville Warbler | C | F | R | |||
MacGillivray's Warbler | R | R | ||||
Mourning Warbler | F | F | U | |||
Kentucky Warbler | F | U | ||||
Common Yellowthroat | C | R | F | C | C | |
Hooded Warbler | C | U | U | |||
American Redstart | C | F | R | |||
Cape May Warbler | R | |||||
Cerulean Warbler | U | R | R | |||
Northern Parula | C | U | U | R | ||
Tropical Parula | S | R | R | |||
Magnolia Warbler | C | F | U | |||
Bay-breasted Warbler | F | R | R | |||
Blackburnian Warbler | F | R | R | |||
Yellow Warbler | C | C | U | R | ||
Chestnut-sided Warbler | C | R | ||||
Blackpoll Warbler | U | |||||
Black-throated Blue Warbler | R | |||||
Palm Warbler | R | U | U | |||
Pine Warbler | R | F | ||||
Yellow-rumped Warbler | C | F | C | |||
Yellow-throated Warbler | F | R | R | R | ||
Prairie Warbler | R | |||||
Black-throated Gray Warbler | R | |||||
Townsend's Warbler | R | R | R | |||
Black-throated Green Warbler | C | F | R | |||
Canada Warbler | F | F | R | |||
Wilson's Warbler | F | U | F | U | ||
Tanagers | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Summer Tanager | C | U | F | R | R | |
Scarlet Tanager | F | R | R | |||
Western Tanager | R | R | ||||
Grosbeaks and Buntings | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Northern Cardinal | C | C | C | C | C | |
Pyrrhuloxia | C | C | C | C | C | |
Rose-breasted Grosbeak | C | U | ||||
Black-headed Grosbeak | R | R | R | |||
Blue Grosbeak | C | U | C | U | ||
Lazuli Bunting | R | |||||
Indigo Bunting | C | R | C | U | ||
Painted Bunting | C | C | C | U | ||
Dickcissel | C | C | C | U | R | |
Pelagic species (normally found only well offshore in the Gulf of Mexico) | Loc | Spring | Summer | Early Fall | Late Fall | Winter |
Cory's Shearwater | U | F | F | |||
Audubon's Shearwater | F | F | F | |||
Band-rumped Storm Petrel | F | F | R | |||
Bridled Tern | U | U | U |