Rio Grande Valley Hotspots


The Lower Rio Grande Valley is the crown jewel of American birding, a subtropical corner of deep South Texas where dozens of species reach the northern edge of their range and occur nowhere else in the country. Remnant thorn forest, resacas, and river woodlands hold a dazzling, colorful cast of birds, and rarities from Mexico turn up regularly. For a bird photographer, it's simply hard to beat.

Birds to look for: Green Jay, Great Kiskadee, Altamira Oriole, Plain Chachalaca, Green Kingfisher, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, and Least Grebe.

Best time to visit: Year-round; winter adds rarities and the biggest variety.

Birds I’ve Photographed in Rio Grande Valley 96 species · see them in the gallery →

Altamira Oriole photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Altamira Oriole Altamira x Audubon's Oriole photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Altamira x Audubon's Oriole American Kestrel photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter American Kestrel Anhinga photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Anhinga Audubon's Oriole photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Audubon's Oriole Bat Falcon photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Bat Falcon Black Skimmer photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Black Skimmer Black-bellied Plover photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Black-bellied Plover Black-bellied Whistling-Duck photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Black-chinned Hummingbird photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Black-chinned Hummingbird Black-crested Titmouse photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Black-crested Titmouse Black-crowned Night-Heron photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Black-crowned Night-Heron Black-necked Stilt photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Black-necked Stilt Blue Grosbeak photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Blue Grosbeak Blue-headed Vireo photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Blue-headed Vireo Bronzed Cowbird photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Bronzed Cowbird Brown Jay photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Brown Jay Brown-crested Flycatcher photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Brown-crested Flycatcher Buff-bellied Hummingbird photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Buff-bellied Hummingbird Caspian Tern photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Caspian Tern Clay-colored Thrush photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Clay-colored Thrush Common Gallinule photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Common Gallinule Common Pauraque photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Common Pauraque Cooper's Hawk photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Cooper's Hawk Crested Caracara photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Crested Caracara Crimson-collared Grosbeak photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Crimson-collared Grosbeak Curve-billed Thrasher photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Curve-billed Thrasher Dickcissel photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Dickcissel Dunlin photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Dunlin Eastern Screech-Owl photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Eastern Screech-Owl Fan-tailed Warbler photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Fan-tailed Warbler Gadwall x Northern Pintail photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Gadwall x Northern Pintail Golden-fronted Woodpecker photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Golden-fronted Woodpecker Gray Catbird photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Gray Catbird Gray Hawk photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Gray Hawk Great Blue Heron photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Great Blue Heron Great Kiskadee photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Great Kiskadee Great-tailed Grackle photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Great-tailed Grackle Greater Roadrunner photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Greater Roadrunner Greater Yellowlegs photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Greater Yellowlegs Green Heron photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Green Heron Green Jay photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Green Jay Groove-billed Ani photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Groove-billed Ani Gull-billed Tern photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Gull-billed Tern Harris's Hawk photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Harris's Hawk Hooded Oriole photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Hooded Oriole Hook-billed Kite photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Hook-billed Kite Inca Dove photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Inca Dove Laughing Gull photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Laughing Gull Least Grebe photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Least Grebe Least Tern photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Least Tern Lesser Nighthawk photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Lesser Nighthawk Long-billed Thrasher photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Long-billed Thrasher Marbled Godwit photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Marbled Godwit Merlin photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Merlin Mottled Duck photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Mottled Duck Mottled Owl photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Mottled Owl Mourning Dove photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Mourning Dove Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet Northern Bobwhite photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Northern Bobwhite Northern Cardinal photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Northern Cardinal Northern Harrier photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Northern Harrier Northern House Wren photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Northern House Wren Olive Sparrow photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Olive Sparrow Orange-crowned Warbler photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Orange-crowned Warbler Plain Chachalaca photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Plain Chachalaca Pyrrhuloxia photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Pyrrhuloxia Red-breasted Nuthatch photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-crowned Parrot photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Red-crowned Parrot Red-tailed Hawk photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Red-tailed Hawk Red-winged Blackbird photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Red-winged Blackbird Reddish Egret photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Reddish Egret Ring-billed Gull photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Ring-billed Gull Roadside Hawk photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Roadside Hawk Rock Pigeon photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Rock Pigeon Roseate Spoonbill photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Roseate Spoonbill Royal Tern photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Royal Tern Ruby-crowned Kinglet photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Ruby-crowned Kinglet Say's Phoebe photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Say's Phoebe Social Flycatcher photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Social Flycatcher Summer Tanager photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Summer Tanager Swainson's Hawk photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Swainson's Hawk Tricolored Heron photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Tricolored Heron Tropical Kingbird photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Tropical Kingbird Tropical Parula photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Tropical Parula Verdin photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Verdin Vesper Sparrow photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Vesper Sparrow White-eyed Vireo photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter White-eyed Vireo White-tailed Hawk photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter White-tailed Hawk White-tailed Kite photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter White-tailed Kite White-tipped Dove photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter White-tipped Dove White-winged Dove photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter White-winged Dove Wild Turkey photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Wild Turkey Yellow-billed Cuckoo photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Yellow-billed Cuckoo Yellow-rumped Warbler photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Yellow-rumped Warbler Zone-tailed Hawk photographed in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas by Bryan Cotter Zone-tailed Hawk

Other Wildlife in Rio Grande Valley 40 species

Birding Locations in Rio Grande Valley See all birds photographed here →

Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park

One of my favorite places in the valley because I believe it has the most variety of birds and probably the best chance at the rarest of birds.


Bird Species Found Here

National Butterfly Center

The NBC is a 100-acre nature preserve with cultivated gardens and wildscape, navigable through woodland and savannah trails. This ever-changing landscape is a work in progress. Once an onion field in commercial production, this area is being restored to native habitat to support wildlife.


Bird Species Found Here

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

The Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is a 2,088-acre "jewel" of the refuge system located in Alamo, Texas. Established in 1943, it sits at the intersection of major migratory flyways, protecting native subtropical woodlands. It is internationally renowned for birdwatching and features over 400 bird species and 300 butterfly varieties.


Bird Species Found Here






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