BirdAnalyst
State · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Texas Breeding Birds

316 species recorded across 247 survey routes, 1967 to 2024. Browse by family or guild below.

Texas Bird Population TrendsNotable signalsLong-arc shifts the engine flags automatically — sustained declines or increases large enough to stand out from year-to-year noise.Full methodology →

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

White-throated Swift has collapsed in Texas: down 94% on the route-weighted index since 1970.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Black Vulture has surged in Texas: up 11× on the route-weighted index since 1969.

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Bank Swallow has collapsed in Texas: down 92% on the route-weighted index since 1969.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

White Ibis has surged in Texas: up 980% on the route-weighted index since 1970.

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

American White Pelican has collapsed in Texas: down 92% on the route-weighted index since 1991.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Couch's Kingbird has surged in Texas: up 852% on the route-weighted index since 1969.

How Bird Guilds Are Faring in TexasGuild trendA mean-index aggregate across the species in this group — the structural direction of the guild, with individual-species noise smoothed out.Full methodology →

-79%

Game birds

8 species
-78%

Arid-land birds

12 species
-57%

Shorebirds

7 species
-52%

Generalists

18 species
-52%

Wetland birds

42 species
-47%

Grassland birds

12 species
-9%

Forest birds

83 species
-7%

Aerial insectivores

32 species
+5%

Waterfowl

15 species
+32%

Birds of prey

27 species

Texas Bird Survey Routes

Browse Texas Birds By FamilyTrendPercent change in the route-weighted abundance index between a smoothed baseline window and the most recent one. It tracks direction, not absolute population.Full methodology →

Each species links to its trend in Texas.

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

Bald Eagle -9%Broad-winged Hawk +23%Cooper's Hawk +320%Ferruginous Hawk -60%Golden Eagle -29%Harris's Hawk -68%Mississippi Kite +95%Northern Harrier -79%Red-shouldered Hawk +137%Red-tailed Hawk +76%Sharp-shinned Hawk -55%Swainson's Hawk +53%White-tailed Hawk +193%White-tailed Kite -24%Zone-tailed Hawk -36%

Bushtits Aegithalidae

Bushtit +7%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark +80%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -77%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck +602%Blue-winged Teal +103%Canada Goose +239%Cinnamon Teal +94%Fulvous Whistling-Duck +29%Gadwall -30%Green-winged Teal -1%Mallard +137%Mexican Duck -39%Mottled Duck -88%Northern Pintail -63%Northern Shoveler +27%Redhead -51%Ruddy Duck -25%Wood Duck -28%

Anhingas Anhingidae

Anhinga -73%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -83%White-throated Swift -94%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

Black-crowned Night Heron +447%Great Blue Heron +29%Great Egret -3%Green Heron -52%Least Bittern -51%Little Blue Heron -32%Reddish Egret -70%Snowy Egret +100%Tricolored Heron +53%Western Cattle-Egret +10%Yellow-crowned Night Heron +14%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Chuck-will's-widow -33%Common Nighthawk -62%Common Pauraque -61%Common Poorwill -83%Lesser Nighthawk -24%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Black-headed Grosbeak -69%Blue Grosbeak +85%Dickcissel -20%Hepatic Tanager -75%Indigo Bunting +34%Northern Cardinal +25%Painted Bunting -13%Pyrrhuloxia -76%Summer Tanager +88%Varied Bunting -47%Western Tanager -38%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture 11×Turkey Vulture +12%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer -59%Wilson's Plover -4%

Storks Ciconiidae

Wood Stork -80%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Common Ground Dove -51%Eurasian Collared-Dove 203×Inca Dove +18%Mourning Dove -6%Rock Pigeon -41%White-tipped Dove +583%White-winged Dove +485%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +4%Blue Jay +50%Chihuahuan Raven -39%Common Raven +343%Fish Crow +412%Green Jay +634%Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay -6%

Chachalacas & Guans Cracidae

Plain Chachalaca -48%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Greater Roadrunner -13%Groove-billed Ani -38%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -49%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel +37%Crested Caracara +634%Prairie Falcon -53%

Finches Fringillidae

House Finch +20%Lesser Goldfinch -2%

Oystercatchers Haematopodidae

American Oystercatcher -65%

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -92%Barn Swallow +281%Cave Swallow +410%Cliff Swallow +65%Northern Rough-winged Swallow +84%Purple Martin +8%Tree Swallow -83%Violet-green Swallow -55%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Altamira Oriole -48%Audubon's Oriole +664%Baltimore Oriole -83%Boat-tailed Grackle -50%Bronzed Cowbird -6%Brown-headed Cowbird -61%Bullock's Oriole +10%Chihuahuan Meadowlark +68%Common Grackle +81%Eastern Meadowlark -80%Great-tailed Grackle -42%Hooded Oriole +488%Orchard Oriole -80%Red-winged Blackbird -47%Scott's Oriole +31%Western Meadowlark +25%Yellow-headed Blackbird +266%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat +81%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -81%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Black Skimmer -36%Caspian Tern +2%Forster's Tern +152%Gull-billed Tern +63%Laughing Gull +603%Least Tern +178%Ring-billed Gull -68%Royal Tern +249%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -44%Crissal Thrasher +96%Curve-billed Thrasher -73%Gray Catbird -82%Long-billed Thrasher +748%Northern Mockingbird -55%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Gambel's Quail 34×Montezuma Quail -7%Northern Bobwhite -77%Scaled Quail -65%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey -61%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-crested Titmouse +79%Carolina Chickadee +99%Tufted Titmouse +46%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart -84%Black-and-white Warbler +150%Common Yellowthroat -20%Golden-cheeked Warbler +322%Hooded Warbler +226%Kentucky Warbler -55%Louisiana Waterthrush -28%Lucy's Warbler +75%Northern Parula -41%Pine Warbler +145%Prairie Warbler +51%Prothonotary Warbler -6%Swainson's Warbler +322%Worm-eating Warbler -2%Yellow-throated Warbler +610%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Bachman's Sparrow -83%Black-chinned Sparrow -21%Black-throated Sparrow -77%Botteri's Sparrow -56%Canyon Towhee -38%Cassin's Sparrow -25%Chipping Sparrow -33%Eastern Towhee -26%Field Sparrow -35%Grasshopper Sparrow +218%Lark Bunting +357%Lark Sparrow -65%Olive Sparrow +683%Rufous-crowned Sparrow -33%Seaside Sparrow +145%Spotted Towhee -78%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -85%

Pelicans Pelecanidae

American White Pelican -92%Brown Pelican 24×

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +695%Neotropic Cormorant +419%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Lesser Prairie-Chicken -63%Ring-necked Pheasant +742%Wild Turkey +127%

Woodpeckers Picidae

Acorn Woodpecker +99%Downy Woodpecker +63%Golden-fronted Woodpecker -38%Hairy Woodpecker +4%Ladder-backed Woodpecker +3%Pileated Woodpecker -22%Red-bellied Woodpecker +27%Red-cockaded Woodpecker -50%Red-headed Woodpecker -71%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Least Grebe +87%Pied-billed Grebe -45%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher -44%Blue-gray Gnatcatcher +222%

Silky-flycatchers Ptiliogonatidae

Phainopepla +94%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

American Coot -41%Black Rail +74%Clapper Rail -88%Common Gallinule +50%King Rail -70%Purple Gallinule -41%

Avocets & Stilts Recurvirostridae

American Avocet +310%Black-necked Stilt +308%

Penduline Tits Remizidae

Verdin -74%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

Long-billed Curlew +237%Upland Sandpiper +99%Willet -23%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Brown-headed Nuthatch -8%White-breasted Nuthatch +132%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl -33%Burrowing Owl +328%Eastern Screech-Owl -89%Elf Owl -11%Great Horned Owl -49%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling +68%

Ibises & Spoonbills Threskiornithidae

Roseate Spoonbill -48%White Ibis +980%White-faced Ibis -86%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Black-chinned Hummingbird +28%Buff-bellied Hummingbird -17%Ruby-throated Hummingbird -28%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Bewick's Wren -9%Cactus Wren -59%Canyon Wren +18%Carolina Wren +148%Marsh Wren -55%Northern House Wren -76%Rock Wren -54%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin +26%Eastern Bluebird +39%Western Bluebird +72%Wood Thrush -20%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher -26%Ash-throated Flycatcher +118%Black Phoebe +23%Brown-crested Flycatcher +45%Cassin's Kingbird -39%Couch's Kingbird +852%Eastern Kingbird -71%Eastern Phoebe +89%Eastern Wood-Pewee -65%Great Crested Flycatcher -37%Great Kiskadee +148%Say's Phoebe -2%Scissor-tailed Flycatcher -55%Tropical Kingbird +471%Vermilion Flycatcher +189%Western Kingbird +824%Western Wood-Pewee +2%

Barn-Owls Tytonidae

American Barn Owl +46%

Vireos Vireonidae

Bell's Vireo +132%Black-capped Vireo +664%Gray Vireo +67%Red-eyed Vireo +44%Warbling Vireo -64%White-eyed Vireo +247%Yellow-throated Vireo +302%

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22.