Carolina Chickadee

This bird is 4 3/4 inch tall and can be found in pine wood and nest in well-wooded suburbs of Houston throughout the year. Forages mostly by hopping among twigs and branches and gleaning food from the ground. Their diet is primarily insects, supplemented especially in winter with seeds and berries; they readily visit bird feeders for sunflower seeds.

Chuck-Will's Widow

This bird is thought to be declining in parts of its range due to of loss of habitat. It breeds in shady woodlands of various types including open pine forest. By day, the bird is seldom detected as it rests on horizontal tree limbs or on the ground. Forages at night and is most active at dusk and dawn and on moonlit nights. Can often be seen foraging in continuous flight along the edges of woods. This bird visits LCNP in April and September.

Cooper’s Hawk

This is medium-sized hawk (14 to 20 inches) of the woodlands that feeds mostly on other birds and small mammals. This hawk has short, broad wings and long tails which increase their maneuverability and make them deadly hunters. These raptors rely mostly on surprise when hunting, ambushing from a hidden perch and weaving or crashing through heavy vegetation in order to catch their prey unawares. This hawk can be seen throughout the year at LCNP.

Downy Woodpecker

This bird is the smallest woodpecker in North America and found across most of the continent. Its range is from coast to coast and from the northern tree line to the Gulf and the deserts and dry grasslands just north of the Mexican border. The female differs from the male only in that it lacks the red occipital patch. Both sexes drum on tree trunks or dead limbs to advertise their presence and proclaim their territorial rights. Their agility comes from their small size and allows them to feed on smaller branches and farther out on their tips than other woodpeckers.

Eastern Screech Owl

This is the only small eastern owl (7 to 10 inches) that has ear tufts. This owl can be seen in two colors: foxy red and gray. No other eared owl is bright foxy red. This owl spends the day roosting in holes or in dense cover, becoming active at dusk. Despite the name, screech-owls do not screech; the voice of this owl features whinnies and soft trills. This owl forages at dusk and at night. It also hunts mostly by watching from a perch and then swooping down to take prey from the ground or from foliage. Can locate prey by sound as well as by sight.

Great horned owl

This owl is the most common owl in North America and perhaps also the most powerful.  This owl (between 18 to 25 inches tall) is known to often attack animals much larger and heavier than itself. These include domestic cats, skunks and porcupines. Although nocturnal in behavior, it sometimes hunts during the day. It primarily feeds on mammals but also eats birds, reptiles and amphibians. In defending its nest and young, it will strike at humans who approach too closely.

Northern Cardinal

The male is all-red bird with a pointed crest on the head, a long tail and a triangle shaped reddish bill. The female is similar in shape but is buff brown in color with a pointed crest, triangle shaped reddish bill and some red color on wings and tail. The Northern Cardinal is 8 ¾ inches tall and can be seen at LCNP all year long.

Northern Flicker

This woodpecker is 12 to 14 inches in height. Flicker often hops awkwardly on ground while feeding on ants. Its flight is undulating. This brown woodpecker flashes bright colors under the wings and tail when it flies. Its ringing calls and short bursts of drumming can be heard in the spring. Close up it displays a black patch across the chest and a Red Crescent shape on the nape. Males defend nesting territory with calling, drumming and many other aggressive displays, including swinging its head back and forth. Nest site is a cavity in dead wood or pine trees. Nest sites are excavated by both sexes.

Northern Waterthrush

6 inches in size. Often walks along water's edge while bobbing their tails, similar to a Spotted Sandpiper. Most other warblers forage in foliage, often high in trees. This extremely well-camouflaged bird is a type of large warbler that migrates through Houston in late spring. It has been seen at TLCNP in late April or early May. Those tiny dots on the throat are a field mark that helps separate this species from the very similar Louisiana Waterthrush.

Photo by Professor Mark Kulstad.

Pileated Woodpecker

These crow-sized woodpeckers drum on trees to claim territory and attract a mate; the loud heavy sound is as if the tree is being hit with a wooden mallet. They are between 16 and 19 inches in height. Each mating pair excavates several roosting cavities and may retire for the evening to one of them. The male roost in a tree hollow before eggs are laid and then afterwards incubates eggs at night. The male has a scarlet mustache while the female's is black. In flight, both show a large white patch at the base of their primary wings feathers as well as white underwing linings. They eat ants, beetles and a variety of other insects, especially tree-boring ones, acorns, beechnuts, seeds of tree cones, nuts and various fruits.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

This noisy common woodpecker has adapted to different habitats from southern pine forests to northern hardwoods, scattered trees and urban parks. They are 9 to 10 inches in height. Their upper parts have black and white barring in a zebra pattern. The "red-belly" comes from a reddish wash low on the belly and between the legs that is difficult to see in the field. In flight, it shows a white rump, white patch at the base of their primary wings and white-barred central tail feathers. The male has a red crown and nape. The female differs in that her crown is gray, but she also has a red nape. They nest and roost nightly in tree cavities.

Red-Headed Woodpecker

This is a striking appearing bird and the only the woodpecker with an entirely red head that is 8 inches in height.  The back is solid black with a white rump. Large square white patch is on the wings. The male establishes a territory and advertises for a mate with calling and drumming. The female indicates acceptance of the site by tapping on the tree. The young are fed by both parents and leave the nest after 27 to 31 days. This bird was once commonly seen at LCNP, but due to recent housing developments it sightings have become less frequent.

Red-tailed Hawk

This hawk is the second-largest hawk in America and is between 18 and 22 inches tall. The Red-tailed hawk is widespread in North America and is adapting to nesting in the city. This hawk can be identified by the pale colored tail below and cinnamon red color above. They can be found in Texas year round, but numbers increase in the winter as hawks from the far north migrate south.

ruby-crowned kinglet

4 inches in size. This bird has been a winter visitor here in the preserve. This tiny bird has plumage that is rather drab and nondescript for much of the year. However, as the name implies, there is a moment of glory during the mating season, when a male Ruby-crowned Kinglet appears with this gorgeous red cap at the top of its head. This bird can be seen at LCNP from October through April.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

This small bird is 3 ¼ inches tall, flies very fast and has a green back with a forked tail. The males have a fiery red throat patch. They are impressive migrants despite their small size, some Ruby-throats may travel from Canada to Costa Rica. This hummingbird can be seen at the LCNP each spring and fall during migration.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

This large bird (24 inches) can be hard to spot. They forage mainly at night and spend most of the day hidden among branches near a body of water. This heron is abundant in spring, summer and fall; less common in winter. They breed in our area and their nests are often 30-40 feet above the ground.