he waters and surrounding lands of the Nueces River Basin provide a home for some 2,342 documented species of animals. Nearly 500 recorded species of resident and migratory birds make the Coastal Bend the richest birding country in North America. Only Texas as a whole and the state of California can claim more sightings.

The region's mild climate and unique geographical position on the Gulf coast account for such acclaimed diversity. Temperate and tropical zones, open seas and vast deserts attract 80 percent of the continent's migratory bird species. Shrub thickets and thorny bushes, verdant river-bank forests, oak savannas, luxuriant seagrasses, and miles of estuaries, bays, and beaches add to the perfect blend for avian communities.

Many endangered or threatened species inhabit or migrate through the central flyway of the Coastal Bend. Birds flock to “fallout” areas, such as the Padre Island National Seashore, where exhausted birds literally drop out of the sky after flying from Central and South America across the Gulf of Mexico.

Whooping cranes, Arctic and American peregrine falcons, piping and snowy plovers, Alaskan curlew, and reddish egrets are found in the Coastal Bend. Texas claims half the total reddish egret population that passes through the Laguna Madre in spring and summer.

Endangered whooping cranes, wintering stars of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge near Rockport, attract considerable attention. In the early 1940s, these majestic birds, known for their unique courtship dance, were reduced to just 18 individuals. Today, although they number over 155, their survival is far from guaranteed. Visitors from around the world visit the Refuge to capture a glimpse of these rare and beautiful creatures.

Hundreds of other birds inhabit the 66,000-acre Refuge where sand dunes, brushlands, grassy meadows, cordgrass prairies, tidal marshes, bays and freshwater ponds support abundant wildlife. American alligator, white-tailed deer, javelina, coyote, wild pig, Rio Grande turkey, raccoon and armadillo also roam the Refuge.

Three colonies of brown pelicans presently live on the Texas coast. In 1996 the colony on Pelican Island in Corpus Christi Bay supported about 35 percent of the state population of 2000 nesting pairs. Once numbering less than 100 individuals, the ban on DDT and protection of nesting sites were factors that have allowed the pelican to successfully repopulate areas from which it was almost extirpated. Today, Sundown Island, in Matagorda Bay, and Pelican Island in Corpus Christi Bay, support the two largest groups of nesting brown pelicans, with a smaller nesting group on Little Pelican Island in Galveston Bay.

Inshore and offshore fishermen find the Coastal Bend an irresistible lure for catching spotted sea trout, flounder, redfish, black drum, barracuda, grouper, shark, Spanish mackerel, sailfish, and tuna, to name but a few species.

Bottlenose dolphins, protected marine mammals revered for their intelligence, often frolic in the wake of passing ships and pleasure boats. Their position at the top of the food chain makes them invaluable indicators of the ecosystem’s health.

On rare occasions, an endangered manatee may wander in from the southern Gulf of Mexico to graze seagrasses in Coastal Bend lagoons and estuaries. Threatened and endangered sea turtles, such as the green, hawksbill, and Kemp’s Ridley, are sometimes seen as well.

Shrimp, crabs, sea stars, and mollusks inhabit a variety of coastal habitats, while sea anemones, tunicates, and sea urchins prefer hard substrate in moving water, such as the jetties at Aransas Pass.

Endangered Species of the Coastal Bend

The listed endangered species of the Coastal Bend number some 14 birds, mammals, and reptiles. Some examples are described below.

The Kemp’s ridley is the rarest sea turtle and occasionally nests on Padre Island. Today there are estimated to be just 2,000 adults in existence. Efforts by scientists at the Padre Island National Seashore, and others continue to protect this beautiful sea turtle.

The tallest bird in North America, whooping cranes migrate to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge each winter. Once hunted for food and sport, today they are one of the best known endangered species in North America. Research at the Refuge continues to protect this magnificent bird.

Brown pelicans were near extinction in Texas just 20 years ago. Today, populations are rebounding. Wonderful to watch, pelicans can be observed diving for fish throughout Coastal Bend bays.

About twice the size of a domestic cat, jaguarundi are very secretive. Utilizing dense, thorny brushlands and hunting mostly at night, their exact numbers are difficult to determine.