Birds in Texas in April: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Texas in April in our iNaturalist sample; 42 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in April

Northern Cardinal14,047 obs.

Great-tailed Grackle10,608 obs.

Northern Mockingbird9,001 obs.

White-winged Dove6,966 obs.

Mallard6,505 obs.

Mourning Dove6,258 obs.

Great Egret6,148 obs.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher6,026 obs.

Great Blue Heron5,848 obs.

House Sparrow5,826 obs.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron5,794 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird5,613 obs.

All birds seen in Texas in April

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	14,047	Apr (peak)
2	Great-tailed Grackle	Quiscalus mexicanus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	10,608	Apr (peak)
3	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	9,001	Apr (peak)
4	White-winged Dove	Zenaida asiatica	Pigeons and Doves	6,966	Apr (peak)
5	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	6,505	Apr (peak)
6	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	6,258	Apr (peak)
7	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	6,148	Apr (peak)
8	Scissor-tailed Flycatcher	Tyrannus forficatus	Tyrant Flycatchers	6,026	Apr (peak)
9	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	5,848	Apr (peak)
10	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	5,826	Apr (peak)
11	Yellow-crowned Night Heron	Nyctanassa violacea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	5,794	Apr (peak)
12	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	5,613	Apr (peak)
13	Black-bellied Whistling-Duck	Dendrocygna autumnalis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	4,897	Apr (peak)
14	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	4,708	Apr (peak)
15	Summer Tanager	Piranga rubra	Cardinals and Allies	4,515	Apr (peak)
16	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	4,485	Apr (peak)
17	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	4,457	Apr (peak)
18	Painted Bunting	Passerina ciris	Cardinals and Allies	4,387	May (rising)
19	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	4,090	Apr (peak)
20	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	4,081	Feb (past peak)
21	Blue-winged Teal	Spatula discors	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	4,077	Apr (peak)
22	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	3,963	Apr (peak)
23	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	3,907	Apr (peak)
24	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	3,698	Apr (peak)
25	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	3,480	Apr (peak)
26	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	3,403	Apr (peak)
27	Lincoln's Sparrow	Melospiza lincolnii	New World Sparrows	3,158	Apr (peak)
28	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	3,147	Apr (peak)
29	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	3,142	Apr (peak)
30	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	2,967	Apr (peak)
31	Black-necked Stilt	Himantopus mexicanus	Stilts and Avocets	2,793	Apr (peak)
32	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	2,763	Apr (peak)
33	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	2,716	Apr (peak)
34	Lark Sparrow	Chondestes grammacus	New World Sparrows	2,713	Apr (peak)
35	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	2,705	May (rising)
36	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	2,694	Oct (rising)
37	Western Cattle-Egret	Ardea ibis	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	2,685	Apr (peak)
38	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	2,673	Jan (past peak)
39	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	2,647	Apr (peak)
40	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	2,565	Mar (past peak)
41	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	2,544	Feb (past peak)
42	Little Blue Heron	Egretta caerulea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	2,423	Apr (peak)
43	Neotropic Cormorant	Nannopterum brasilianum	Cormorants and Shags	2,421	Apr (peak)
44	Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	2,420	Apr (peak)
45	Western Kingbird	Tyrannus verticalis	Tyrant Flycatchers	2,410	May (rising)
46	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	Cardinals and Allies	2,321	Apr (peak)
47	White Ibis	Eudocimus albus	Ibises and Spoonbills	2,297	Apr (peak)
48	White-eyed Vireo	Vireo griseus	Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis	2,220	Apr (peak)
49	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	2,179	Apr (peak)
50	Black-chinned Hummingbird	Archilochus alexandri	Hummingbirds	2,119	Apr (peak)

Birds Seen in Texas in April

Top birds in April

All birds seen in Texas in April