Birdlife of Houston, Galveston, and the Upper Texas Coast

Front Cover
Texas A&M University Press, Oct 3, 2006 - Nature - 328 pages
In the last thirty years, the Upper Texas Coast has become a “must go” destination for birders around the globe. This book will serve as an essential companion to the customary field guide and pair of binoculars for all visitors to Houston, High Island, Galveston, Freeport, or any of the area’s other exciting birding spots. It also places the birdlife of the region, a seven-county area with a larger bird list than forty-three states, into historical and ecological contexts.

Authors Eubanks, Behrstock, and Weeks—all recognized authorities on the migrant and resident birds of this region—present a thorough introduction to the area’s history, physiography, and avifauna. Then, in generous discussions of bird families and species, they synthesize years of records, tracking the comings and goings of more than 480 birds and incorporating their own lifetimes of experience to create an “ornithological mosaic” of lasting significance.
 

Contents

HISTORY
4
GEOLOGY CLIMATE AND HABITATS
4
DIVERSITY
16
NESTING AND MIGRATION
18
EXOTIC AND DETRIMENTAL SPECIES
28
HAZARDS FOR BIRDS
29
FORMAT OF THE SPECIES ACCOUNTS
32
ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE TEXT
33
Kingfishers
173
Woodpeckers
174
Flycatchers
180
Shrikes
190
Vireos
191
Jay Nutcracker Crows and Ravens
197
Horned Lark
200
Chickadee Titmouse Nuthatches and Creeper
204

Waterfowl
37
Upland Game Birds
54
Loons and Grebes
57
Tubenoses
61
Pelicans and Allies
65
Large Wading Birds
71
Storks Vultures and Flamingo
79
Raptors
82
Rails Gallinules Coot and Cranes
97
Shorebirds
103
Jaegers Gulls Terns and Skimmer
133
Pigeons and Doves
149
Parakeets
153
Cuckoos
154
Owls
157
Nighthawks and Nightjars
161
Swifts
164
Hummingbirds
165
Wrens
206
Bulbul Kinglets and Gnatcatcher
209
Thrushes
210
Catbird Mockingbird and Thrashers
215
European Starling
217
Waxwings
218
Warblers
219
Tanagers
239
Cardinals Sparrows and Allies
241
Blackbirds Orioles and Allies
256
Finches and Allies
264
House Sparrow
267
BIRDING AND ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS ON THE UPPER TEXAS COAST
269
PLANTS MENTIONED IN THE TEXT
270
BIBLIOGRAPHY
273
INDEX
279
Copyright

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About the author (2006)

TED L. EUBANKS JR. is president of Fermata Inc., a nature tourism, national trails, and wildlife-watching consulting business. A resident of Galveston, he is a recipient of the Roger T. Peterson Excellence in Birding Award.ROBERT A. BEHRSTOCK is an Arizona-based biologist, writer, photographer, and nature tour leader.RON J. WEEKS is a chemical engineer at Dow Chemical Company in Lake Jackson and a subregional editor for North American Birds.

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