Oak Savannah and Prairies Wildlife - Texas Parks and Wildlife

Oak Savannah and Prairies Wildlife - Texas Parks and Wildlife News about wildlife and habitat for the Post Oak Savannah and Coastal Prairies ecoregions.

Late summer and early fall are anything but quiet out in the prairie or the garden! Turks cap is putting on a beautiful ...
09/06/2026

Late summer and early fall are anything but quiet out in the prairie or the garden! Turks cap is putting on a beautiful show right now, drawing in hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Goldenrod, Gregg’s mistflower, Maximillian sunflower, salvia, and autumn sage are also providing valuable late-season nectar just when many pollinators are stocking up for the months ahead.

Keep an eye out for hummingbirds migrating through on their journey south, fueling up wherever they can find reliable blooms. You may also spot swallowtail butterflies, monarchs, skippers, bumblebees, honeybees, and native solitary bees making the most of these last big waves of flowers.

Planting for pollinators isn’t just a springtime project. A garden filled with late-blooming native and well-adapted plants can provide an important food source right through the changing seasons and bring plenty of life and color to the garden and prairie when summer begins to fade.

Dove season officially kicked off on Tuesday, but this weekend may be the first opportunity many of you have to get out ...
09/04/2026

Dove season officially kicked off on Tuesday, but this weekend may be the first opportunity many of you have to get out in the field. While many hunters envision sitting near harvested crop fields or stands of sunflowers, native pastureland can offer fine dove hunting as well, but may require a little more work. Fields with dove w**d (aka goat w**d or Croton sp.), particularly after seed drop, are enticing for dove. When hunting early or later shooting hours, concentrate near watering holes, snags, and power lines for good pass shooting. Between these periods, be ready to walk these areas to ‘stir up’ feeding doves.

Dove season is just a few days away! Both mourning dove and white-winged dove survey results should be encouraging for ...
08/27/2026

Dove season is just a few days away! Both mourning dove and white-winged dove survey results should be encouraging for hunters across most of Texas this season. While some of the mourning dove surveys showed slight declines since the 2025 surveys, both regions that cover District 9 are above the long-term population average. White-winged populations are holding steady in the Oaks and Prairies, but in the Gulf Coast Prairie, the past two years have been below the long-term average.

Follow the link for the full report: https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/game_management/dove_summary/doveStatusReport.phtml

A native of Cuba and the Bahamas, the brown anole (Anolis sagrei ) is now a widespread exotic invasive species found in ...
08/25/2026

A native of Cuba and the Bahamas, the brown anole (Anolis sagrei ) is now a widespread exotic invasive species found in much of the southeastern US. It is usually brown, gray, or tan with patterns on the sides and can darken or lighten its color but cannot turn bright green like our native green anole. The male has a ridge down its back and an orange to reddish dewlap it fans out to attract females. It is believed to have entered the US through both the pet trade and cargo shipments and is likely dispersed through live plant trade/sales. The brown anole is highly adaptable and can be found in urban areas, gardens, and forests. Being carnivorous, the brown anole eats insects, spiders, and sometimes small lizards. It outcompetes our native green anole for food resources and displaces them from suitable habitat, leading to declines in green anole populations.

This time of year, TPWD Wildlife Biologists conduct white-tailed deer daylight herd composition surveys. These surveys a...
08/20/2026

This time of year, TPWD Wildlife Biologists conduct white-tailed deer daylight herd composition surveys. These surveys are mostly conducted early morning or late evening when deer are out and about. Biologists drive county roads and as they observe deer, deer are recorded as buck, doe, or fawn. Our District goals are to collect several hundred observations across a Deer Management Unit (DMU) which may cover several counties.
These observations are then pooled to help determine does per buck and fawn crop. Herd comp data is used in conjunction with spotlight surveys, which help determine densities, to formulate harvest recommendations and at times hunting regulation changes.

Its finally here! Hunting and Fishing Licenses for the 2026-2027 season are officially on sale.Order online or find a ne...
08/16/2026

Its finally here! Hunting and Fishing Licenses for the 2026-2027 season are officially on sale.

Order online or find a nearby retailer at tpwd.texas.gov.

Updated identity verification rules are now in effect to combat residency fraud and support TPWD law enforcement. Here's what to know: bit.ly/LicenseIDFAQ

100% of license sales support Texas’ wild things and wild places. Thank you!

08/13/2026

A turkey hen with her babies - called poults - is a very welcome sight! With the drought in the past years, nesting has not always been successful for turkeys. Rio Grande turkeys typically nest through the spring and summer, and often they will lay multiple clutches if the first is not successful. Rain and habitat management gives them a much better chance! For more information about how you can improve your habitat for turkeys, call your local biologist or visit Turkey in Texas: https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/game_management/turkey/

Are you aware of the Managed Land for Deer Program(MLDP) Harvest Option? If not, it is an automated option to receive M...
07/29/2026

Are you aware of the Managed Land for Deer Program(MLDP) Harvest Option? If not, it is an automated option to receive MLDP tags without having to do any pre-season surveys, with the only requirement being reporting harvest by April 1st. It is worth noting that the tag issuance is conservative, with no surveys being required, but it may be a great opportunity for you to take advantage of the extended seasons that come with the MLD program. If you have used this option for MLDP tags in the past, keep in mind the enrollment deadline is September 1. If you would like to enroll or use the tag estimater to determine how many tags you would get visit our Land Management Assistance page here https://lma.tpwd.texas.gov/, if you have questions regarding the MLDP, you can contact your local biologist https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/habitat-management/find-a-wildlife-biologist/. Photo Credit:TPWD Image Bank/Earl Nottingham

While many people associate kingfishers with large rivers and lakes, these remarkable birds can often be found anywhere ...
07/24/2026

While many people associate kingfishers with large rivers and lakes, these remarkable birds can often be found anywhere there's reliable water including winding creeks and stock ponds to slow-moving streams that cut through the rolling grasslands and scattered oak woodlands of this ecoregion.

With their shaggy blue-gray crest, white collar, and bold blue band across the chest, Belted Kingfishers are hard to mistake. Females are especially striking, sporting an additional rusty-colored band across their belly, making them one of the few North American bird species where the female is actually more colorful than the male.

Belted Kingfishers feed on fish, crayfish, aquatic insects, tadpoles, and small amphibians, making them important predators in healthy freshwater ecosystems.

If you're spending time outdoors in the oak Savannah and prairies, keep an ear out for their unmistakable rattling call echoing along the water’s edge. It often gives away their presence long before you catch sight of their swift, direct flight.

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