Health
April 10, 2024
No, Texans Don’t Need to Panic About Bird Flu—Yet
The risk of the avian influenza sparking a pandemic remains low, but viruses evolve, and experts urge vigilance.
Birds
Best Thing in Texas
March 7, 2024
A Rare “Lost Bird” Was Feared Extinct. Texas Scientists Just Found It in the Congo.
The yellow-crested helmetshrike hadn’t been seen in decades—and it wasn't the only little-known species spotted by a UT–El Paso team.
Critters
January 19, 2024
Do Not Underestimate the Elf Owl
The world’s smallest owl is a swift, acrobatic hunter whose victims never hear it coming.
Critters
January 9, 2024
Kestrels Are Disappearing. Here’s Where to See These “Small but Fierce” Falcons in Texas.
They flock to our state every winter and are a joy to watch.
Critters
December 21, 2023
Short Ears, Big Wings, Can’t Lose
Short-eared owls are disappearing along with the Texas prairie. But for now, they’re putting on a show outside Manor.
Critters
December 6, 2023
Why We’re Seeing More Green Jays Across South Texas
This tropical beauty is expanding its range beyond the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Critters
June 7, 2023
The Grackle and the Tennis Ball: A Love Story
It’s, uh, kind of X-rated.
Critters
May 29, 2023
In Wichita Falls, Airport Officials Are Waging War on Egrets
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a bird crashing into a plane!
Critters
May 23, 2023
In Pursuit of Texas’s Rarest Bird, the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken
Fewer than 200 of the birds remain in the wild. Every spring, they put on a vibrant mating display.
Critters
May 22, 2023
Turkey Trouble in Sun City
Aggressive birds are ruffling feathers in an over-55 Georgetown neighborhood. Residents have fended off the gobblers with decorative pillows and golf clubs.
Critters
April 6, 2023
Purple Martins Are on the Wing in Texas
The majestic birds nest only in houses built by human “landlords.”
Critters
April 4, 2023
It’s Hummingbird Season in Texas. Here’s How to Bring Them to Your Yard.
The tiniest of Texas birds are also some of the most marvelous, reaching speeds of up to fifty miles per hour.
Critters
November 11, 2022
Where to Watch Thousands of Sandhill Cranes Storm the Texas Skies
Each winter, a wildlife sanctuary near the Panhandle hosts one of the world’s largest gatherings of these beautiful birds.
Texas Country Reporter
September 29, 2022
Guardian of the Whooping Cranes
One of our most important TCR stories involved a surprise encounter with an early advocate of whooping crane conservation efforts.
Texas Country Reporter
May 31, 2022
He’s an Urban Birder, Photographing Birds of Prey in Downtown Austin
Chris DuCharme is self-taught, armed with a telephoto lens and words of encouragement from his late wife.
Critters
May 18, 2022
After the Big Year: What Came Next for the Texan Who Broke a National Birding Record
After taking her thousands of miles across 48 states, Tiffany Kersten’s adventure led her right back home.
Critters
May 18, 2022
Twelve of Texas’s Most Stunning Birds
The elusive bat falcon, the raucous chachalaca, and the luminous violet-crowned hummingbird belong on your life list.
Art
April 8, 2022
Texas’s Newest Master Sculptor Is a Parrot Named Hannah
Houston sculptor John Havel discovered he was living with a genius. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, my parrot can make Giacomettis.’ ”
The Texanist
November 4, 2021
The Texanist: Where Did All These Bright Green Parrots Come From?
A longtime San Antonio resident is thrilled—but puzzled—by the presence of monk parakeets in her hometown.
Critters
October 1, 2021
Goodbye to a Ghost: East Texas’s Ivory-billed Woodpecker Is Now Officially Extinct
So is a little fish that swam along the San Marcos River.
Critters
April 15, 2021
Chasing Down Birds of Prey With Ornithologist and Musician Jonathan Meiburg
His new book traces the evolution of caracaras—a strange and beautiful type of falcon.
Critters
October 24, 2019
Can the Bobwhite Quail Be Saved?
Once widely hunted in Texas, the beloved game birds have been dwindling in number in recent decades. But a West Texas hunter and professor believes he’s found a way to save them.
The Texanist
July 20, 2019
The Texanist: Why Do We Share a State Bird With Five Other States?
A pair of Austin birders think it’s time to replace the Northern mockingbird with something more . . . Texas-y.
Critters
November 18, 2015
We’ve Got the Monk (Parakeet)
An (extremely) amateur ornithologist’s examination of the monk parakeet and its time in Texas.
Critters
July 15, 2015
A Tyler Man Is Suing the City After He Was Arrested for Swearing When He Picked Up His Missing Bird
A colorful man with a colorful bird had a hard time in the Tyler police station.
Critters
February 19, 2015
Eight Reasons Grackles Are Awesome
Maybe it’s time we kick the mockingbird off its perch as the state bird and replace it with an avian friend with even more personality and visibility.
January 21, 2013
How the Drought is Impacting Rice Farmers and Hot Tub Owners
The drought leaves nothing untouched. This week the drought impacts the state’s rice farmers, migratory bird populations, and hot tub owners.
Recipes
January 20, 2013
State Fare: Stuffed Quail With Blackberry Essence
October in Texas doesn’t always mean cool weather, but it does mean the beginning of quail season. At Anthony’s in Houston, chef Bruce McMillian stuffs the small succulent birds with seasoned wild rice and couscous, roasts them to a turn, and finishes them with a garnet-hued blackberry sauce. Hunters may
Recipes
January 20, 2013
State Fare: Savory Roast Pheasant
The bird on your Thanksgiving table this year should be pheasant—specifically, the savory roast pheasant with garlicky sausage jambalaya dressing from Cheryl and Bill Jamison’s new cookbook, Texas Home Cooking (Harvard Common Press). Rubbed with a pungent Tabasco seasoning, this handsome variation on the holiday menu takes an excursion through
Recipes
January 20, 2013
State Fare: Cornish Game Hens Acapulco
“We thought about closing Hilltop after we bought it, but we just about had a mutiny on our hands,” says James D. Smith, Jr. He was speaking of the legendary country eating place that Madalene Hill opened 38 years ago in Cleveland, just a few miles from its present incarnation
Food & Drink
January 20, 2013
Cook Your Goose!
Turn your holiday dinner into a moth-waatering master-feast with these new recipes from Stay Canyon chef Stephan Pyles.
Recipes
January 20, 2013
Barbecued Roast Goose with Cornbread-Oyster Stuffing
For the main course, baste roast goose with a savory barbecue sauce and stuff it lavishly with cornbread and oysters.1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 cup chopped yellow onion 2 tablespoons celery, diced 2 tablespoons carrot, diced 2 serrano chiles, seeded and minced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup dry white
Recipes
January 20, 2013
Madeira Quail Breasts with Saffron Mayonnaise on Toast
Recipe from “The Pleasure of Their Companies.”
Hunting & Fishing
January 20, 2013
Quick Cuisine: After the Hunt
A bird in the pan is worth two in the bush, especially when it’s quail.
Recipes
January 20, 2013
Split Quail With Juniper Berries and Gin
Serves 4 Preparation Time: 5 Minutes Cooking Time: 20 to 30 Minutes8 small (4-ounce) or 4 large (8-ounce) quail, split down the back and flattened 1/2 cup flour mixed with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 shallots, minced 16
Recipes
January 20, 2013
Boneless Smoked Quail
Boneless Smoked Quail6 boned quail, about 3 ounces each 2 teaspoons Lawry’s seasoning salt 2 teaspoons Ac’cent seasoning 1 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper 3/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoningMix spices together, adding water (about 7 to 8 teaspoons) until an almost thin consistency is reached. Be careful not
Food & Drink
January 20, 2013
What’s Good For the Goose
Most recipes for game birds amount to long, slow overkill. Only quick, hot cooking ensures that red-meat birds retain their rich flavor.
Critters
February 24, 2012
Feathery Friday: Baby Bald Eagles in Llano, Turkeys and Penguins in San Antonio
A selection of our favorite bird-related stories from around the state.
Web Exclusive
April 30, 2011
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
Victor Emanuel describes what he likes about these beautiful birds that can be found in Texas.
Business
March 1, 2002
Swamped!
If you're looking for endless stretches of pristine coastline, more birds than you can count, and the state's largest concentration of alligators, then Port Arthur is your gateway to an unexpected adventure.
Politics & Policy
March 1, 2002
Unfair Game
On the trail of Texas' unhappy hunting grounds.
Critters
April 1, 1999
Wing Tips
Where to see the painted bunting, the summer tanager, and other feathered friends: A guide to the best birding spots in Texas.
Critters
June 1, 1984
The Wild Side of Town
You don’t have to go to the country or the zoo to see wild animals; there are lizards in downtown buildings, gators in the creeks, and deer in the parking lots.
Hunting & Fishing
August 31, 1973
Texas Monthly Hunting Guide
A veteran hunter and guide tells how it's done.