Bird families
-Ducks, geese, and waterfowl
-Quail BN
-Grebes
-Pigeons and doves
-Cuckoos
-Nightjars
-Swifts
-Hummingbirds
-Rails, gallinules and coots
-Limpkin and Cranes
-Stilts, avocets and Plovers
-Sandpipers
-Gulls, terns, and skimmers
-Loons
-Storks
-Boobies
-Anhinga and Cormorants
-Pelicans
-Herons, egrets, and bitterns
-Ibises and spoonbills
-Vultures
-Osprey, Hawks, eagles, and kites
-Owls
-Kingfishers
-Woodpeckers
-Falcons and caracaras
-Parrots
-Flycatchers
-Shrikes
-Vireos
-Crows and Jays
-Larks
-Swallows and Martins
-Chickadees, and titmice
-Nuthatches
-Creepers
-Wrens
-Gnatcatchers
-Kinglets
-Thrushes
-Mockingbirds and Thrashers
-Starlings
-Waxwings
-Weavers (house sparrow)
-Pipits
-Finches and Goldfinches
-Longspurs
-Sparrows
-Yellow-breasted chat
-Warblers
-Cardinals
-Tanagers
Common to uncommon birds you might see in your yard, neighborhood, or local park:
for a list of all species in Williamson County, see my checklists pages
Birds in order of family, as above; you will likely need to do some scrolling
Seasonality and variations in plumage based on age, sex and season included
Ducks, Geese, Swans
Mallards, the most familiar ducks. Many in public ponds are domesticated and not wild.
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Egyptian Goose
Egyptian Goose
Muscovy Ducks
Wood duck male
Wood duck male
Blue-winged Teal
Gadwall
Northern Shoveler
American Wigeon
Northern pintail
Northern pintail
Green-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
Redhead
Redhead
Canvasback
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup (VERY rare here, see lesser scaup
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead (male)
Bufflehead (females)
Hooded Merganser-very uncommon
WIld Turkey
Pied-billed Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
Bobwhite (declining, only in undeveloped areas)
Rock Pigeon (highly variable)
Eurasian Collared-dove (Agricultural areas and HEB Parking lots)
Eurasian Collared-dove (Agricultural areas and HEB Parking lots)
Inca Doves (uncommon)
Common Ground Dove (but very uncommon, mainly in undeveloped areas)
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Greater Roadrunner
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Common Nighthawk
Common Nighthawk
Chimney Swift
Female Black-chinned OR Ruby-throated Hummingbird-extremely difficult to distinguish. IF you see one on a nest, it is a Black-chin; Ruby throats only migrate through.
Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird-migrant only
Male Black-chinned Hummingbird
Male Black-chinned Hummingbird (purple on gorget usually not visible)
Male Rufous Hummingbird-if you see a hummer in winter (and it has ANY brown on it), it is almost certainly this one
Male Rufous Hummingbird-if you see a hummer in winter (and it has ANY brown on it), it is almost certainly this one
Rufous Hummingbird (female, mainly winter)
Common Gallinule
American Coot
Loggerhead Shrikes
Sandhill Cranes
Sandhill Cranes
Sandhill Cranes
Sandhill Cranes
Killdeer
Black-bellied Plover (uncommon migrant in wet areas)
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Spotted Sandpiper (Breeding Plumage)
Spotted Sandpiper (non-Breeding)
Greater Yellowlegs (on right) and Solitary Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs (migrant, very similar to Greater Yellowlegs)
Dunlin
Least Sandpipers
Franklin's Gulls
Franklin's Gulls
Franklin's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Forster's Terns
Double-crested cormorant
Double-crested cormorants
Neotropic Cormorant (very similar to Double-crested)
Neotropic Cormorant (very similar to Double-crested)
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
White-faced Ibis (uncommon migrant)
American White Pelican
American White Pelican
Black Vulture
Black Vulture
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Osprey
Sharp-shinned Hawk VERY similar to Cooper's Hawk-both are present but Sharp-shinned is gone in summer
Cooper's Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Northern Harrier
Northern Harrier
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle (always near water bodies)
Mississippi Kite
Mississippi Kite
Broad-winged Hawk (only passes through during migration)
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk (with photo-shopped sky)
Red-tailed Hawk
Eastern Screech Owl (tiny)
Eastern Screech Owl (tiny)
Great-horned Owl-huge, common, "hoot-owl"
Great-horned Owl
Barred Owl-uncommon
Belted Kingfisher male
Belted Kingfisher female
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-bellied Woodpecker (inaptly named)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker (note white back)
Downy Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker (male)
Ladder-backed Woodpecker (female)
Northern (yellow-shafted) Flicker
Northern (yellow-shafted) Flicker
Crested Caracara
Crested Caracara
American Kestrel (male)
American Kestrel (female)
Olive-sided Flycatcher (migration only)
Least Flycatcher (mainly during migration)
Least Flycatcher (migrant)
Eastern Phoebe (our only year-round resident flycatcher)
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Phoebe (our only year-round resident flycatcher)
Say's Phoebe (uncommon, winter)
Great-Crested Flycatcher (migrant)
Great-Crested Flycatcher (migrant)
Western Kingbird (summer)
Western Kingbird (summer)
Eastern Kingbird (migrant)
Scissor
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (summer)
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (summer)
Loggerhead Shrike (winter)
Blue Jay
Carolina Chickadee
White-eyed Vireo (mostly summer)
White-eyed Vireo (mostly summer)
White-eyed Vireo (mostly summer)
Yellow-throated Vireo (summer)
Yellow-throated Vireo (summer)
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo (migrant and winter)
Red-eyed Vireo (summer)
Woodhouse's Jay (very uncommon most areas)
American Crow
hybrid Black Crested X /Tufted Titmouse (almost all Williamson County sightings are hybrids)
Purple Martins (Summer)
Purple Martins
Barn Swallow (in flight note forked tail)
Cave Swallow (summer)
Cliff Swallow (summer)
Cliff Swallows (collecting mud for nests)
Tree Swallow (uncommon migrant)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (common in winter, but red crown rarely displayed)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (common in winter, but red crown rarely displayed)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (uncommon, winter)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (rare, winter)
Brown Creeper (uncommon, winter)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (migrant, some in winter)
Canyon Wren (rocky areas)
House Wren (winter)
Carolina Wren: note reddish brown underparts and overall appearance
Carolina Wren: note reddish brown underparts and overall appearance
Bewick's Wren (note white underparts)
Bewick's Wren
Northern Mockingbird; Texas' State Bird!
Eastern Bluebird (male)
Eastern Bluebird (female)
Eastern Bluebird (juveniles)
Hermit Thrush (winter)
Hermit Thrush: note reddish upper tail (winter)
Swainson's Thrush (migrant)
Hermit Thrush (winter)
American Robin (migrant; some all year)
American Robin (migrant; some all year)
Cedar Waxwing (winter and spring(
Cedar Waxwing (winter and spring(
House Sparrow (female)
House Sparrow (male)
House Finch male and female
House Finch (female)
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch (male)
Lesser Goldfinch (female)
xAmerican Goldfinch (male) winter
American Goldfinch (male) winter
Chipping Sparrow (winter)
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow (migrant)
Field Sparrow (winter)
Lark Sparrow
Fox Sparrow (winter)
Dark-eyed Junco (male) (winter)
Dark-eyed Junco (male) (winter)
Dark-eyed Junco (female)
White-crowned Sparrow (winter)
Harris's Sparrow (winter)
White-throated Sparrow (winter)
White-throated Sparrow (winter)
White-throated Sparrow (winter)
Lincoln's Sparrow (winter)
Lincoln's Sparrow (winter)
Lincoln's Sparrow (winter)
Vesper Sparrow (winter)
Savanna Sparrow (winter)
Song Sparrow
Song Sparrow (winter)
Rufous-crowned Warbler
Rufous-crowned Warbler
Spotted Towhee (winter)
Spotted Towhee (winter)
Baltimore Oriole
Orchard Oriole (male) migrant
Orchard Oriole (female) migrant
Red-winged Blackbird (male)
Red-winged Blackbird (female)
Brown-headed Cowbird (male)
Brown-headed Cowbird (female)
Great-tailed Grackle (male)
Great-tailed Grackle (female)
Red-winged Blackbird (immature male)
Common Grackle (male)
Ovenbird (an uncommon migrant warbler)
Orange-crowned Warbler (migrant and winter)
Orange-crowned Warbler (migrant and winter)
Black-and-white Warbler (migrant and occasionally winter)
Orange-crowned Warbler (winter)
Common Yellowthroat (migrant and occasionally winter)
Nashville Warbler (migrant)
Nashville Warbler (migrant)
Yellow Warbler (male) migrant
Yellow Warbler (male) migrant
Yellow Warbler (female) migrant
Pine Warbler (winter)
Pine Warbler (winter)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (migrant and winter)