Birders in Texas are buzzing after a rare South American cattle tyrant appeared in Galveston this week, only the second time the species has been recorded in the United States.
A bird seldom observed beyond South America has unexpectedly appeared on Galveston Island, enchanting local birdwatchers and sparking curiosity about its journey thousands of miles from its original habitat.
This week, the cattle tyrant, a yellow-bellied flycatcher species commonly found in the Pampas regions of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, was observed several times at Palisade Palms, a high-rise condominium complex located on East Beach, as reported by the Galveston County Daily News. A resident walking her dog first spotted the bird on the ground before it was seen on balconies as high as the 20th floor.
“It has generated considerable local interest among birders,” said Wyatt Egelhoff, sanctuary manager at the Houston Audubon Society’s Clint & Mary Frances Morse Field Station in High Island.
This sighting represents just the second recorded instance of a cattle tyrant in the United States. Last November, the first event took place in Corpus Christi, attracting thousands of birdwatchers eager for a glimpse of the birds.
Greg Whittaker, general curator at Moody Gardens, observed that in South America, the species frequently inhabits urban environments, foraging for flies along sidewalks and buildings. “At least this new Texan has found its crucial habitat,” Whittaker noted in a blog post.
Experts speculate that birds exploiting ship rides may have been the cause of both sightings in the United States. Whittaker proposed that the Galveston bird may have taken flight as a vessel approached the Houston Ship Channel.
As birders rejoice over the rare discovery, the future of its survival remains uncertain. Egelhoff noted that tropical vagrants encounter various challenges from predators, such as peregrine falcons anticipated to arrive for the winter, as well as building collisions, feral cats, and the need to adapt to a cooler climate.
“This bird appears to have embraced a lifestyle of foraging among the upper-floor balconies of the Palisade Palms towers,” Whittaker remarked. “Only time will reveal if this tyrant can endure as effectively as its predecessor in Corpus Christi has.”
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