Brazos Bend State Park
Texas · Southeast
Easy
March-May
$7 per person (ages 13+)
8:00 AM – 10:00 PM daily
About This Location
Brazos Bend State Park is a 5,000-acre preserve of bottomland hardwood forest, coastal prairie, and freshwater lakes southwest of Houston. With over 300 bird species recorded and one of the densest populations of American Alligators in Texas sharing the trails, it offers a truly wild birding experience within easy reach of the Houston metro area.
The park's multiple lakes and marshy edges attract spectacular numbers of wading birds including Roseate Spoonbills, Great and Snowy Egrets, and Anhingas, while the mature bottomland forest supports breeding Prothonotary Warblers, Pileated Woodpeckers, and Barred Owls. Painted Buntings sing from the forest edges in summer, and the open prairie areas host wintering sparrows and occasional raptors including White-tailed Hawks.
Location
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Notable Species
Live Bird Data
Powered by eBird / Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Notable Sightings
Rare or unusual species spotted nearby in the last 14 days
Swallow-tailed Kite
Elanoides forficatus
Northern Waterthrush
Parkesia noveboracensis
Dunlin
Calidris alpina
Black-bellied Plover
Pluvialis squatarola
Pine Warbler
Setophaga pinus
Lark Sparrow
Chondestes grammacus
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Pheucticus ludovicianus
Recent Observations
Species reported at this location in the last 14 days
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Mourning Dove
White Ibis
Least Bittern
Snowy Egret
Western Cattle-Egret
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Gallinule
Limpkin
Killdeer
Anhinga
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Little Blue Heron
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Mississippi Kite
Red-shouldered Hawk
Birding Tips
- 1
Walk the Elm Lake Trail for the best concentration of wading birds and alligators
- 2
Listen for Painted Buntings singing from exposed perches along forest edges in late spring
- 3
The 40-Acre Lake observation tower provides panoramic views of the wetland
Amenities
Nearby Attractions
- George Observatory
- Stephen F. Austin State Park
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Texas Birding Guide
Complete guide to birding in Texas →