NEED TO KNOW
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A double-striped thick-knee bird was spotted on private property in Wilson County, Texas, on Sunday, Sept. 14
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After the news broke that the bird was visible, bird watchers across Texas and other neighboring states went to watch the animal
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This was the first time since 1961 that the animal was spotted in Texas
After 64 years, Texas bird watchers celebrated a rare sighting of a double-striped thick-knee bird in Wilson County on Sunday, Sept. 14.
The bird was spotted on private property near Nixon, Texas, about 40 miles southeast of San Antonio. The family reached out to Ginger Coleman, who shared a photo of the bird in a local birding Facebook group, prompting Texas bird watchers to go searching for the rare animal.
Birdwatcher Dania Sanchez told Chron that she was at home when she got the message, and decided to hit the road with two other local birders to search for the animal. Once she located the bird, she said, “This one was alert, maybe a little confused, but healthy and able to vocalize and fly.”
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A bird searches for food on the Los Llanos of, Colombia
As more and more birders gathered to see the bird, the animal became more reclusive and hid in a mesquite thicket. “It flew over us to an open field where the remainder of the birders who stayed late got a treat and saw it for 20 minutes, then we all left,” Sanchez said.
She told the outlet that seeing the double-striped thick-knee bird was one of the most significant birds she’s ever seen in Texas. “Definitely one of the top six mega rarities in Texas,” she said, noting that she’s also been able to see the Mercedes southern lapwing, the Galveston yellow-headed caracara, the Anahuac Amur stonechat, the Brownsville gray-collared becard and the Corpus Christi cattle tyrant.
While Sanchez lucked out, several other birders from Texas and other states weren’t able to catch a glimpse of the bird.
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The double-striped thick-knee bird is native to southern Mexico, Central America and parts of northern South America, per eBird. Typically, the bird is found in dry pastures and open spaces and prefers grasslands over coasts. It’s a tall bird with long legs and a neck, large eyes, and a short, thick bill.
The last time the bird was seen in Texas was in 1961 in Kleberg County.
Read the original article on People
