Bird Info

Common Pauraque /chotocabras pauraque (Nyctidromus albicollis)

Voice: Mournful “poo-WHEEEER,” often proceeded with a building “po-po-po-po-poo-WHEEEER.”

Common Pauraque
 
Status: Common resident in the Valley where dense woodlands are found. Roosts by day on forest floor, and is especially fond of dense thickets with extensive leaf litter. Best found along woodland edges at dusk.

Habitat: Dense woodlands and brushy thickets.

Best Spots: Best found at dusk at Bentsen SP along the park road. Also found at most Valley refuges, including the entrance road at Sabal Palm Grove, Santa Ana NWR, and Laguna Atascosa NWR.

Similar Species: Combination of large size, long rounded tail, and bar across primaries distinguishes Common Pauraque from Common Poorwill (resident in Starr County) and Chuck-will’s-widow and Whip-poor-will (both migrants).


Headere
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All Bird call recordings © John C. Arvin.
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Welcome to a birder’s eye view of the seasons in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Enjoy our annual cycle! The resulting avifauna in deep South Texas is the most diverse north of the Mexican border. The four county area that makes up the lower Rio Grande Valley has recorded over 500 species of birds. This is more species of birds than have been recorded in all but two or three entire states. Small wonder that birders from across the continent make pilgrimages to the region. Happy Birding!

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