VIDEO SURVEILLANCE OF NESTING CLAY-COLORED THRUSHES IN SOUTH TEXAS

Abstract

 Along the lower Rio Grande in Texas, an estimated 95% of native vegetation has been destroyed through urban and agricultural expansion, leaving only isolated remnants of once continuous woodland (Jahrsdoerfer and Leslie 1988). Although some bird species have declined because of habitat loss and alteration, other species have increased. In recent decades, the Clay-colored Thrush (Turdus grayi) has expanded its range north into south Texas and is now considered common in the lower Rio Grande valley (Brush and Conway 2012), a subtropical region comprising the state’s four southernmost counties.