[Length 4.5 in. Wingspan 6.25 in.]

This male Tropical Parula was photographed along the Devil's River north of Del Rio, Texas. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: April 2000)

[Length 4.5 in. Wingspan 6.25 in.]

This male Tropical Parula was photographed along the Devil's River north of Del Rio, TX. Photo taken with a Nikkor EDAF 300 f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: April 2000)

[Length 4.5 in. Wingspan 6.25 in.]

Although this female "Parula" shows many of the field marks of a Northern Parula, it was paired with a male Tropical Parula in riparian habitat along the Devil's River north of Del Rio, TX. This area along the Devil's River is not within the known breeding range of the Northern Parula in Texas. (Note: It did show a yellow malar area (unfortunately not visible in this photogrqaph) and slightly more extensive yellow on the upper belly and flanks than a typical female Northern Parula. These are both indicators for Tropical Parula. Both the location of this bird and its "mixture" of field marks indicate that these two species might be more closely related than is currently thought.) Photo taken with a Nikkor EDAF 300 f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: April 2000)

[Length 11 in. Wingspan 24 in.]

This Common Pauraque was photographed at Estero Llano Grande State Park, Weslaco, Texas. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D300 camera. (Date: January 25, 2011)

[Length 11 in. Wingspan 24 in.]

This Common Pauraque was photographed at Santa Ana NWR, McAllen, TX. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S f4 lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D100 camera. (Date: March 24, 2004)

[Length 95 to 110 in. Wingspan xx in.]

This captive male Peacock Displaying was photographed at the Gladys Porter Zoo, Brownsville, Texas. Photo taken with a Nikon CoolPix 7600 camera (EFL=114mm). (Date: May 12, 2011)

[Length 95 to 110 in. Wingspan xx in.]

This captive male Peacock was photographed at the Gladys Porter Zoo, Brownsville, Texas. Photo taken with a Nikon CoolPix 7600 camera (EFL=103mm). (Date: May 12, 2011)

[Length 62 in. Wingspan 108 in.]

American White Pelicans are common breeding birds on prairie lakes in the US and Canada. In winter, they often occur in large flocks along the southern coasts of the US, where their synchronized group fishing looks like a ballet on water. The fish are scooped up into their expandable throat pouches along with a considerable amount of water. The water is then drained by holding the bill straight up in the air. American White Pelicans often soar and circle high in the air like hawks, vultures, and other birds of prey. This American White Pelican was photographed at Rockport Beach, Rockport, TX. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S f4 lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D100 camera. (Date: March 27, 2004)