Birds and MigrationThe city of Houston is located within the Central Flyway, the path that a majority of migrating birds take spanning from Canada through the United States and into parts of South America, and its proximity to the coastline makes it an optimal location to observe migrating species in the fall. Gulf Coastal prairies are important habitats to preserve due to the nature of birds to seek out the best native habitat in any given area they pit stop in, looking for qualities in the habitat such as a large amount of mature trees and shrubbery which Wolf Prairie will be able to provide after being carefully tended to. At least 45 different species of birds migrate through these Coastal Prairie areas in the spring or fall. In recent years this number has become to decline as these migrating species lose the habitats that they visit along their route.
Source “There are still many unsolved problems about bird life, among which are the age that birds attain, the exact time at which some birds acquire their adult dress, and the changes which occur in this with years. Little, too, is known about the laws and routes of bird migration, and much less about the final disposition of the untold thousands which are annually produced.” |
This video helps explain in depth bird migration and the reasons for it. Birds migrate seasonally based off of sense of time, temperature and food sources along Flyways stretching throughout the United States into South America. Birds will gorge themselves on food before migrating and often wait for cold fronts that blow favorable headwinds in the general direction of their migration path in order to best utilize air currents to reach their destination around 3,000 miles away. Predatory birds such as hawks will migrate during the day, and smaller birds will migrate at night in order to avoid daytime-migrating raptors.
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Migrating Species in Texas
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Species of Migrating Birds Spotted on WHS Campus
Native or Migrating Species to Gulf Coastal Prairies
Birds typically found living or migrating to Coastal Prairie lands are classified as Land birds. The following are land birds that traditionally migrate to or inhabit Gulf Coastal Prairies such as Wolf Prairie and are considered a high priority species for conservation efforts, which mainly includes the restoration of prairie habitats.