Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge
Encyclopedia
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is a 2088 acres (8.4 km²) refuge situated along the banks of the Rio Grande
in Hidalgo County, Texas
south of Alamo, Texas
. It was established for the protection of migratory
bird
s in 1943. Its unique location at the meeting of several different climates (subtropical
, Chihuahuan Desert
, Gulf Coast
, and Great Plains
) has garnered a well-deserved reputation as a birding delight. Santa Ana has been under the management of Jennifer Owen-White since early 2011.
(Leopardus pardalis albescens) and Gulf Coast Jaguarundi
(Puma yagouaroundi cacomitli) feline species. These species, while not considered endangered by the IUCN, are rare for the area. Both species are listed as Endangered in the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as Amended. The Jaguarundi is listed as on CITES Appendix II, and the Ocelot is listed in CITES Appendix I.
species on their way to and from Central
and South America
.
A few species to be found here are Black-bellied
and Fulvous Whistling Duck
, Mottled Duck
, Blue-winged
, Green-winged
, and Cinnamon Teal
, Least Grebe
, Anhinga
, Tricolored Heron
, American White Ibis
, lesser yellowlegs
, Long-billed Dowitcher
and Least Tern.
Osprey
, Broad-winged Hawk
, Northern Harrier and Peregrine Falcon
are among the migratory birds of prey
found in the park. Hook-billed Kite
and Grey Hawk, seen occasionally on the refuge, attract birders from around the world.
Over 35 species of spring New World warbler
have been seen and include the Golden-winged Warbler
, Magnolia Warbler
, Northern
and Tropical Parula
, American Redstart
, Palm Warbler
and Yellow-breasted Chat
.
species found in the United States; over 300 species have been seen at the park. As many as 65 have been seen on a single day.
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
in Hidalgo County, Texas
Hidalgo County, Texas
Hidalgo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Located in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, Hidalgo County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, and is the seventh most-populous county in Texas. Its population in 2010 was 774,769, a 35% increase from 2000...
south of Alamo, Texas
Alamo, Texas
Alamo, Texas, in what is nicknamed the "Land of Two Summers," is a town in the irrigated area of southern Hidalgo County, Texas. This town was incorporated in 1924, and it was named for the Alamo Land and Sugar Company, is 240 miles south of the more famous Texas Alamo Mission, and is near the...
. It was established for the protection of migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s in 1943. Its unique location at the meeting of several different climates (subtropical
Subtropics
The subtropics are the geographical and climatical zone of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropical zone, which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, at latitudes 23.5°N and 23.5°S...
, Chihuahuan Desert
Chihuahuan Desert
The Chihuahuan Desert is a desert, and an ecoregion designation, that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border in the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau, bordered on the west by the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, and overlaying northern portions of the east range, the Sierra...
, Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States, sometimes referred to as the Gulf South, South Coast, or 3rd Coast, comprises the coasts of American states that are on the Gulf of Mexico, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and are known as the Gulf States...
, and Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
) has garnered a well-deserved reputation as a birding delight. Santa Ana has been under the management of Jennifer Owen-White since early 2011.
Fauna
Notable species include the Texas OcelotOcelot
The ocelot , pronounced /ˈɒsəˌlɒt/, also known as the dwarf leopard or McKenney's wildcat is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico, but has been reported as far north as Texas and in Trinidad, in the Caribbean...
(Leopardus pardalis albescens) and Gulf Coast Jaguarundi
Gulf Coast Jaguarundi
The Gulf Coast Jaguarundi is a subspecies of Jaguarundi that ranges from southern Texas in the United States south to Veracruz and San Luis Potosí in eastern Mexico. This cat looks like a large weasel or otter with a coat in one one three color phases: black, reddish-brown or brownish-gray...
(Puma yagouaroundi cacomitli) feline species. These species, while not considered endangered by the IUCN, are rare for the area. Both species are listed as Endangered in the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as Amended. The Jaguarundi is listed as on CITES Appendix II, and the Ocelot is listed in CITES Appendix I.
Birds
397 bird species have been documented within the parks borders. Many of those are migratoryBird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
species on their way to and from Central
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
A few species to be found here are Black-bellied
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
The Black-bellied Whistling Duck , formerly also called Black-bellied Tree Duck, is a whistling duck that breeds from the southernmost United States and tropical Central to south-central South America. In the USA, it can be found year-round in parts of southeast Texas, and seasonally in southeast...
and Fulvous Whistling Duck
Fulvous Whistling Duck
The Fulvous Whistling Duck, Dendrocygna bicolor, is a whistling duck which breeds across the world's tropical regions in much of Central and South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and the Gulf Coast of the United States....
, Mottled Duck
Mottled Duck
The Mottled Duck or Mottled Mallard is a medium-sized dabbling duck. It is intermediate in appearance between the female Mallard and the American Black Duck. It is closely related to those species, and is sometimes considered a subspecies of the former, but this is inappropriate .There are two...
, Blue-winged
Blue-winged Teal
The Blue-winged Teal is a small dabbling duck from North America.-Description:The Blue-winged Teal is long, with a wingspan of , and a weight of . The adult male has a greyish blue head with a white facial crescent, a light brown body with a white patch near the rear and a black tail. The adult...
, Green-winged
Green-winged Teal
The Green-winged Teal is a common and widespread duck that breeds in the northern areas of North America except on the Aleutian Islands. It was considered conspecific with the Common Teal The Green-winged Teal (Anas carolinensis) is a common and widespread duck that breeds in the northern areas of...
, and Cinnamon Teal
Cinnamon Teal
The Cinnamon Teal is a small, reddish dabbling duck found in marshes and ponds of western North and South America.thumb|left|Female Anas cyanoptera septentrionalium...
, Least Grebe
Least Grebe
The Least Grebe , an aquatic bird, is the smallest member of the grebe family. It occurs in the New World from the southwestern United States and Mexico to Chile and Argentina, and also on Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas and the Greater Antilles.-Description:The Least Grebe ranges in length from...
, Anhinga
Anhinga
The Anhinga , sometimes called Snakebird, Darter, American Darter, or Water Turkey, is a water bird of the warmer parts of the Americas. The word "anhinga" comes from the Brazilian Tupi language and means devil bird or snake bird.It is a cormorant-like bird with an average body length of , a...
, Tricolored Heron
Tricolored Heron
The Tricolored Heron formerly known in North America as the Louisiana Heron, is a small heron. It is a resident breeder from the Gulf states of the USA and northern Mexico south through Central America and the Caribbean to central Brazil and Peru...
, American White Ibis
American White Ibis
The American White Ibis is a species of wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae. It occurs from the mid-Atlantic and Gulf coast of the United States south through most of the New World tropics...
, lesser yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
The Lesser Yellowlegs is a medium-sized shorebird similar in appearance to the larger Greater Yellowlegs. It is not closely related to this bird, however, but instead to the much larger and quite dissimilar Willet; merely the fine, clear and dense pattern of the neck shown in breeding plumage...
, Long-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
The Long-billed Dowitcher, Limnodromus scolopaceus, is a medium-sized shorebird.Adults have yellowish legs and a long straight dark bill. The body is dark brown on top and reddish underneath with spotted throat and breast, bars on flanks. The tail has a black and white barred pattern...
and Least Tern.
Osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
, Broad-winged Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
The Broad-winged Hawk is a small hawk of the genus Buteo. During the summer some subspecies are distributed over eastern North America, as far west as British Columbia and Texas; they then migrate south to winter in the neotropics from Mexico down to southern Brazil. Other subspecies are all-year...
, Northern Harrier and Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
are among the migratory birds of prey
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
found in the park. Hook-billed Kite
Hook-billed Kite
The Hook-billed Kite, Chondrohierax uncinatus, is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles, and harriers...
and Grey Hawk, seen occasionally on the refuge, attract birders from around the world.
Over 35 species of spring New World warbler
New World warbler
The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are not related to the Old World warblers or the Australian warblers....
have been seen and include the Golden-winged Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
The Golden-winged Warbler, Vermivora chrysoptera, is a New World warbler, 11.6 cm long and weighing 8.5 g. It breeds in eastern North America, southeastern Canada and the eastern USA...
, Magnolia Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Setophaga magnolia, commonly known as the Magnolia warbler, is a member of the Parulidae family of wood warblers. [4] This warbler was first discovered in magnolia trees in the 19th century by famed ornithologist Alexander Wilson while in Mississippi. [7]-Description:The magnolia warbler can be...
, Northern
Northern Parula
The Northern Parula, Parula americana, is a small New World warbler. It breeds in eastern North America from southern Canada to Florida....
and Tropical Parula
Tropical Parula
The Tropical Parula is a small New World warbler. It breeds from southernmost Texas and northwest Mexico south through Central America to northern Argentina, including Trinidad and Tobago. This widespread and common species is not considered threatened by the IUCN.This passerine is not migratory,...
, American Redstart
American Redstart
The American Redstart is a New World warbler. It is the only member of its genus and is unrelated to the Old World redstarts. It derives its name from the male's red tail, start being an old word for tail.-Description:...
, Palm Warbler
Palm Warbler
The Palm Warbler, Dendroica palmarum, is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.The species comprises two distinct subspecies that may merit specific status....
and Yellow-breasted Chat
Yellow-breasted Chat
The Yellow-breasted Chat is a large songbird, formerly considered the most atypical member of the New World warbler family, though the long-standing suspicion is that it does not actually belong there. Its placement is not definitely resolved. It is the only member of the genus Icteria...
.
Butterflies
Not to be outdone by its reputation as a birding paradise, Santa Ana is also home to almost half of all butterflyButterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
species found in the United States; over 300 species have been seen at the park. As many as 65 have been seen on a single day.