The bird populations at Brackenridge Field Laboratory (BFL) represent an eclectic group of species. Over 170 species of birds have been sighted at BFL (including adjacent areas of Town Lake). Common bird species are shared with nearby upland areas (e.g., Mockingbird, Bewick's Wren, White-eyed Vireo, Painted Bunting) and riparian areas (Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Carolina Wren, Cardinal). Urban influences are shown by the presence of Great-tailed Grackles, Starlings, and House Sparrows. The complexity of the vegetation at BFL in both its composition and structure enhances the diversity of the avifauna supported on the site. Birds of the riparian, upland, and urban habitats are juxtaposed in close proximity to one another but the habitat differences which do exist among the terraces give rise to slightly different assemblages. Seasonally, bird populations at BFL are lowest during the nesting season and higher during the migration and winter seasons, a pattern typical of the Central Texas region. At least 17 species of birds are known to nest at BFL and another 18 species nest close nearby. The riparian areas support a high diversity of migrant and wintering passerines such as thrushes, vireos, warblers, tanagers, orioles, and sparrows. Wintering waterfowl and other waterbirds are common on adjacent Town Lake (Pied-billed Grebe, American Coot, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Wood Duck, Belted Kingfisher). The cattail-covered ponds on the middle terrace of BFL represent freshwater marsh habitats which are relatively rare in the Austin region. Despite the small areal extent of these bits of marsh, they routinely harbor individuals of migrant and wintering marsh birds such as Sora, Long-billed Marsh Wren, Common Yellowthroat, and Swamp Sparrow.
While common bird species are shared with nearby areas, the habitat preferences of some species and the limited, partially disturbed nature of the habitats at BFL, combine to limit the avifaunal composition in certain respects. For instance, Canyon Wrens (which prefer steep limestone cliffs) and the Northern Parula (which nests in Spanish moss in mesic woodlands) occur immediately across from BFL but not on the site. The Golden-cheeked Warbler which nests in mature juniper-oak woodland in the Wild Basin Preserve may only occur in migration at BFL. Turkeys, which were once common in the county, are now restricted to less urbanized areas.
The urban parks and natural areas such as Zilker Park, Wild Basin Preserve, and BFL share certain similarities characteristic of a common regional avifauna. Their avifaunal differences arise from differences in habitat composition and extent of urban influences and disturbances. They may be thought of as representing habitat islands linked by remnant habitat corridors and surrounded by varying degrees of urban development. At present, substantial links to nearby non-urban areas still exist and, to the degree that they are linked, island biogeographic analogies break down. Nevertheless, increasing urban development will tend to isolate such areas more in the future.
Note by Robert Barth, Feb. 1992. Many of these birds must of be very sporadic occurrence especially by the early 1990s. Netting attempts by the Farquhars in the spring of 1991 captured very few spring migrants. Urban and semi-urban residents predominated. The increasing isolation of these patches of natural habitat in an ever expanding sea of urban development is having negative effects on the avifauna as predicted by Sexton and others. The general decline of many neotropical migrants doubtless also affects what we observe locally. |
1. Pied-billed Grebe
2. Double-crested Cormorant
3. Cattle Egret
4. Snowy Egret
5. Great Egret
6. Great Blue Heron
7. Green-backed Heron
8. Mute Swan
9. Black-bellied Whistling Duck
10. Mallard
11. Gadwall
12. Pintail
13. Green-winged Teal
14. Blue-winged Teal
15. American Wigeon
16. Northern Shoveler
17. Wood Duck
18. Ring-necked Duck
19. Lesser Scaup
20. Bufflehead
21. Ruddy Duck
22. Turkey Vulture
23. Black Vulture
24. Mississippi Kite
25. Sharp-shinned Hawk
26. Red-tailed Hawk
27. Broad-winged Hawk
28. Swainson's Hawk
29. Osprey
30. American Kestrel
31. Wild Turkey
32. Bobwhite
33. Sora
34. American Coot
35. Kildeer
36. Spotted Sandpiper
37. Upland Sandpiper
38. Common Snipe
39. Ring-billed Gull
40. Franklin's Gull
41. Rock Dove
42. White-winged Dove
43. Mourning Dove
44. Inca Dove
45. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
46. Black-billed Cuckoo
47. Screech Owl
48. Great Horned Owl
49. Barred Owl
50. Common Nighthawk
51. Chuck-wills-widow
52. Chimney Swift
53. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
54. Black-chinned Hummingbird
55. Belted Kingfisher
56. Green Kingfisher
57. Northern Flicker
58. Red-bellied Woodpecker
59. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
60. Downy Woodpecker
61. Eastern Kingbird
62. Western Kingbird
63. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
64. Great-crested Flycatcher
65. Ash-throated Flycatcher
66. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
67. Least Flycatcher
68. Alder Flycatcher
69. Willow Flycatcher
70. Olive-sided Flycatcher
71. Eastern Wood Pewee
72. Eastern Phoebe
73. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
74. Barn Swallow
75. Cliff Swallow
76. Purple Martin
77. Blue Jay
78. Scrub Jay
79. American Crow
80. Carolina Chickadee
81. Black-crested Titmouse
82. Brown Creeper
83. House Wren
84. Winter Wren
85. Bewick's Wren
86. Carolina Wren
87. Long-billed Marsh Wren
88. Canyon Wren
89. Northern Mockingbird
90. Gray Catbird
91. Brown Thrasher
92. American Robin
93. Hermit Thrush
94. Swainson's Thrush
95. Veery
96. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
97. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
98. Cedar Waxwing
99. Loggerhead Shrike
100. Starling
101. White-eyed Vireo
102. Bell's Vireo
103. Yellow-throated Vireo
104. Solitary Vireo
105. Red-eyed Vireo
106. Philadelphia Vireo
107. Warbling Vireo
108. Black-and-White Warbler
109. Tennessee Warbler
110. Orange-crowned Warbler
111. Nashville Warbler
112. Northern Parula
113. Yellow Warbler
114. Magnolia Warbler
115. Yellow-rumped Warbler
116. Black-throated Green Warbler
117. Bay-breasted Warbler
118. Blackburnian Warbler
119. Ovenbird
120. Northern Waterthrush
121. MacGillivray's Warbler
122. Mourning Warbler
123. Kentucky Warbler
124. Common Yellowthroat
125. Worm-eating Warbler
126. Yellow-breasted Chat
127. Hooded Warbler
128. Wilson's Warbler
129. Canada Warbler
130. American Redstart
131. House Sparrow
132. Eastern Meadowlark
133. Red-winged Blackbird
134. Orchard Oriole
135. Northern Oriole
136. Great-tailed Grackle
137. Common Grackle
138. Brown-headed Cowbird
139. Summer Tanager
140. Cardinal
141. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
142. Blue Grosbeak
143. Indigo Bunting
144. Painted Bunting
145. Rufous-sided Towhee
146. Savannah Sparrow
147. Grasshopper Sparrow
148. Lark Sparrow
149. Dark-eyed Junco
150. Rufous-crowned Sparrow
151. Chipping Sparrow
152. Clay-colored Sparrow
153. Field Sparrow
154. White-crowned Sparrow
155. White-throated Sparrow
156. Fox Sparrow
157. Lincoln's Sparrow
158. Swamp Sparrow
159. Song Sparrow
160. House Finch
161. Pine Siskin
162. American Goldfinch
163. Lesser Goldfinch
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Podilymbus podiceps
Phalacrocorax auritus
Bubulcus ibis
Egretta thula
Casmerodius albus
Ardea herodia
Butorides striatus
Cygnus olor
Dendrocygna autumnalis
Anas platyrhynchos
Anas strepera
Anas acuta
Anas crecca
Anas discors
Anas americana
Anas clypeata
Aix sponsa
Aythya collaris
Aythya affinis
Bucephala albeola
Oxyura jamaicensis
Cathartes aura
Coragyps atratus
Ictinia mississippiensis
Accipiter striatus
Buteo jamaicensis
Buteo platypterus
Buteo swainsoni
Pandion haliaetus
Falco sparverius
Meleagris gallopavo
Colinus virginianus
Porzana carolina
Fulica americana
Charadrius vociferus
Actitis macularia
Bartramia longicauda
Gallinago gallinago
Larus delawarensis
Larus pipixcan
Columba livia
Zenaida asiatica
Zenaida macroura
Columbina inca
Coccyzus americanus
Coccyzus erythrophthalmus
Otus asio
Bubo virginianus
Strix varia
Chordeiles minor
Caprimulgus carolinensis
Chaetura pelagica
Archilochus colubris
Archilochus alexandri
Ceryle alcyon
Chloroceryle americana
Colaptes auratus
Melanerpes carolinus
Sphyrapicus varius
Picoides pubescens
Tyrannus tyrannus
Tyrannus verticalis
Tyrannus fortificata
Myiarchus crinitus
Myiarchus cinerascens
Empidonax flaviventris
Empidonax minimus
Empidonax alnorum
Empidonax traillii
Contopus borealis
Contopus virens
Sayornis phoebe
Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Hirundo rustica
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Progne subis
Cyanocitta cristata
Aphelocoma coerulescens
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Parus carolinensis
Parus atricristatus
Certhia americana
Troglodytes aedon
Troglodytes troglodytes
Thyromanes bewickii
Thyrothorus ludovicianus
Cistothorus palustris
Catherpes mexicana
Mimus polyglottos
Dumetella carolinensis
Toxostoma rufum
Turdus migratorius
Catharus guttatus
Catharus ustulatus
Catharus fuscescens
Polioptila caerulea
Regulus calendula
Bombycilla cedrorum
Lanius ludovicianus
Sturnus vulgaris
Vireo griseus
Vireo bellii
Vireo flavifrons
Vireo solitarius
Vireo olivaceus
Vireo philadelphicus
Vireo gilvus
Mniotilta varia
Vermivora peregrina
Vermivora celata
Vermivora ruficapilla
Parula americana
Dendroica petechia
Dendroica magnolia
Dendroica coronata
Dendroica virens
Dendroica castanea
Dendroica fusca
Seiurus aurocapillus
Seiurus noveboracensis
Oporornis tolmiei
Oporornis philadelphia
Oporornis formosus
Geothlypis trichas
Helmitheros vermivorus
Icteria virens
Wilsonia citrina
Wilsonia pusilla
Wilsonia canadensis
Setophaga ruticilla
Passer domesticus
Sturnella magna
Agelaius phoeniceus
Icterus spurius
Icterus galbula
Quiscalus maxicanus
Quiscalus quiscala
Molothrus ater
Piranga rubra
Cardinalis cardinalis
Pheucticus ludovicianus
Guiraca caerulea
Passerina cyanea
Passerina ciris
Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Passerculus sandwichensis
Ammodramus savannarum
Chondestes grammacus
Junco hyemalis
Aimophila ruficeps
Spizella passerina
Spizella pallida
Spizella pusilla
Zonotrichia leucophrys
Zonotrichia albicollis
Passerella iliaca
Melospiza lincolnii
Melospiza georgiana
Melospiza melodia
Carpodacus mexicanus
Carduelis pinus
Carduelis tristis
Spinus psaltria |
