Piney Woods is as close to the East as Texas will take you and the species reflect that, species such as Blue Jays, Cardinals, Eastern Kingbirds, Eastern Pheobes and Bluebirds, and Pine Warblers. Of course, Piney Woods has draws of its own. The endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker is found in Fairchild State Forest. Another key species of the Piney Woods include the Grasshopper Sparrow, which is not threatened, but the Henslow's Sparrow, the Sedge Wren, and the Bachman's Sparrow are all decreasing. The Piney Woods provides habitat for them all, especially at Purtis Creek State Park, the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, and Camp Tyler.

Bird Island is another special spot in Piney Woods. This is where hundreds of thousands of large shorebirds, like the Great and Snowy and Cattle Egrets and the Tricolored Herons, set down to nest. Also look out for the Downy Woodpecker, the Green Heron, the Yellow-breasted Chat, the Rusty Blackbird, the Purple Finch, the Solitary Vireo, and the Bobwhite Quail.

Birding Sites