Birding

 

Located along the Central Flyway, the national seashore is a refuge for hundreds of bird species that either pass through on their migration or spend the winter here.

NPS Photo/ Sue Wolfe

 

Anyone Can Go Birding!

One of the great things about going birding is that anyone can do it and it requires no special gear. With over 10,000 species of birds worldwide, birds are literally everywhere. From your own backyard to a national park, birding can be a fun activity to get you outside and connected to nature.

Here in the park, over 380 species call the national seashore home at some point during the year, making it an ideal place to observe birds and check off new species on your list. While no gear is required to go birding, items such as bird guides, binoculars, and a camera may make your time more worthwhile.

Recommended Gear

Bird Guides

Several field guide pamphlets and books dedicated to identifying birds in the area are available in the park store. There are also numerous resources available online or on mobile phone apps.

Binoculars

A set of binoculars can vary greatly in price, magnification, and weight, so it is important to find the right pair for you. Whatever you choose, binoculars will help you get a better view of birds from a distance.

Camera

From the camera on your cell phone in your pocket to an expensive digital camera with a telephoto lens, a camera can be a useful tool to have while birding. You can use it to help document your finds and as a resource to help identify those lesser-known species.

More great tips are available on the Birding for Beginners page.

 

Citizen Science

You can be a citizen scientist by reporting your bird sightings to online checklists such as eBird or iNaturalist. If you spot a bird that has been banded, you can report the band information to the North American Bird Banding Program. Your observations help scientist around the world monitor bird population numbers and species diversity.

 

Sanderlings can often be seen running along the edge of the beach as the waves come in and out.

NPS Photo/ Sue Wolfe

Different Habitats Support Different Birds

The time of year that you visit the park and the habitat area you are in will determine the species of birds you can see. In places along the Laguna Madre and the tidal mudflats, several different types of wading birds can be found. Snowy egrets (Egretta thula), white ibis (Eudocimus albus), and long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus) can be found throughout the year. Species such as the American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) and redhead ducks (Aythya americana) return to the area each winter.

On the interior of the island throughout the grasslands, numerous species of songbirds can be found along with a resident family of crested caracaras (Caracara plancus). With the return of winter, sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) can be seen foraging in the tall grasses as shallow marshes form from winter rainstorms.

Along the sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) can be seen flying in formation and diving for fish year-round. Birders with a watchful eye may also catch a glimpse of the elusive ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres) or red knot (Calidris canutus).

 

 

Species List

To obtain a full species list, select "birds" for the category below.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

Padre Island National Seashore

Select a Species Category (optional):

All Amphibians Birds Fish Mammals Reptiles Vascular Plants

Get Checklist Get Full List List Differences

Species attribute definitions

Search results will be displayed here.

Visit NPSpecies for more comprehensive information and advanced search capability. Have a suggestion or comment on this list? Let us know.

 

Other Birding Hotspots in the Local Area

• Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center (Port Aransas)
• Joan and Scott Holt Paradise Ponds (Port Aransas)
• Port Aransas Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture (Port Aransas)
• Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve and Nature Center (Corpus Christi)
• Hans & Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge (Corpus Christi)