Whether they fly, flutter, or flock, they find their way to the Rio Grande Valley! Two principal flyways, the Mississippi and the Central, merge in the skies above the four south-most counties of Texas. Since birds and butterflies from across North, Central, and South America migrate here, with the Rio Grande Valley as the northernmost range for many species endemic to Mexico and the southernmost range for many from the United States, colorful species from across the hemisphere may be sighted perched in local trees and on roadside telephone wires!

According to the latest checklists, 510 species and four sub-species of birds can be found in just the four counties of the Lower Rio Grande Valley—compared to 477 species in the whole state of Florida or 450 species in the entire state of Louisiana! And South Texas boasts 300 of the 500 butterfly species in all of North America!

For a Valley-wide checklist of bird and butterfly species throughout the season, visit www.southtexasnature.com. Then, to help you find those species, stop by the office of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership for a copy of the very popular Rio Grande Valley Bird and Butterfly Map. For an update on unusual sightings in the area, contact the Rare Bird Alert maintained by the World Birding Center at (956) 584-2731.

If you ever tire of looking to the skies, the rich ecology of the Rio Grande Valley also provides haven to creatures and critters that slither and crawl. For example, twenty-five percent of the total U.S. species of amphibians, like frogs and toads, breed in here; another eighty-three species of mammals, including the onshore dolphin and the very endangered ocelot and jaguarundi cats, may be found in the Rio Grande Valley. See also Walk on the Wild Side.