Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

Texas’ beloved horny toad is the subject of an ongoing citizen science project called Texas Horned Lizard Watch, where volunteers collect data about this vanishing Texas icon.

It’s been going on for ten years now. So we’ve gotten some wonderful information from people – all across the state – about how horned lizards are doing.

Lee Ann Linam coordinates the program. Among other uses, the data helps biologists like Linam establish predictors of horned lizard decline.

Our horned lizard watch data, that our volunteers put together, show that in fact, that the presence of fire ants is kind of the strongest predictor as to whether or not you’ll find horned lizards at a site. And, of course, it’s generally not a good relationship.

Red harvester ants are horned lizard’s food of choice — but good luck finding them when fire ants are around.

Fire ants often drive out native ant species; they feed on small vertebrates, especially animals that lay their eggs in the ground.

There’s a new opportunity for people wanting to participate in Texas Horned Lizard Watch.

If they’re interested in the survey project in cemeteries they can get in touch with us.

Spooky…we’ll have details on surveying horned lizards in cemeteries tomorrow. That’s our show… we receive support from the Wildlife Restoration Program… working to increase conservation efforts in Texas. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Horned Lizard Conservation Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

Calling a brown-headed cowbird a cowbird, is a misnomer as far as biologist Marsha May is concerned.

I think they should be called bison birds, and not cowbirds, because they evolved with the bison.

Semantics aside, the bird’s habit of laying its eggs in other birds’ nests can cause the decline of species with small populations, such as the endangered Black-capped Vireo. Additional species are also impacted.

Woodland species are now being impacted by brown-headed cowbirds, because we’ve fragmented the woods. Previously those woodland species were protected by the woods. Now that it’s fragmented, the cowbirds are getting into that habitat, and they’re parasitizing birds that have never historically been parasitized before.

The cowbird is in the blackbird family. The male has a black body and brown head, while the female is mottled brown and gray. Want to intervene on songbirds’ behalf.

You can actually become certified in Texas to trap for cowbirds, and that’s mainly during the breeding season, between March first and May thirty-first. And, mainly you’re trying to trap the females.

Information on the certification program can be found at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show… we receive support from the Wildlife Restoration Program… funded by your purchase of shooting and hunting equipment.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
____________________________________________

Find information about the Cowbird Trapping Program when you click here.

Brown-headed Cowbird, Part 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Wildlife Restoration Program

The brown-headed cowbird migrated with bison across the Great Plains. Because it’s hard to raise a family on the road, cowbirds laid their eggs in other nests; host birds unwittingly raised their young.

The problem with the cowbird eggs is that normally they’re big eggs; they hatch earlier than the host eggs do; and they’re very vocal and hungry and beg for food.

Biologist, Marsha May, says the cowbird hatchlings starve out and kick out the host’s offspring, putting a dent in the population of that species. Back when bison roamed, cowbirds didn’t have quite the same impact.

Black-capped vireos, which are an endangered species now, evolved where if they were parasitized by a brown-headed cowbird, they would leave that nest and re-nest – start a new nest. Well, if the cowbirds had already moved through, that would have worked.

Without bison, cowbirds hang with cows. Because cows are fenced in and don’t migrate, neither do cowbirds.

They’re parasitizing all the birds in that area – their nests – and they’re having a major impact on some species like the black capped vireo, because the black-capped vireo keeps re-nesting and that’s wasting a lot of energy, and if it’s constantly being parasitized, then no young will be reproduced at all that year.

We’ll have more on cowbirds tomorrow.

That’s our show… we receive support from the Wildlife restoration Program… funded by your purchase of fishing and hunting equipment and motor boat fuels.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Brown-headed Cowbird, Part 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download