San Antonio Urban Wildlife - Texas Parks and Wildlife

07/28/2026

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will host a Spanish-language Zoom webinar July 30 at 10 a.m. focused on New World screwworm.

06/24/2026

Thanks to all the rain we’ve been getting, the wildflowers are having a spectacular year here in San Antonio! Native plants are an important resource for our local wildlife and are beautiful too! There have even been some late-season bluebonnets spotted recently!

Gracias a las lluvias abundantes, las flores silvestres están floreciendo maravillosamente este año en San Antonio. Las plantas nativas son un recurso importante para nuestro vida silvestre local, ¡y también son bonitas! ¡Incluso se han visto algunos bluebonnets a finales de temporada recientemente!

Photo Credit: Erica Macha, Nathan Wahler

06/09/2026

04/24/2026

04/22/2026

To our wild neighbors in San Antonio, big or small: Happy Earth Day💚🌎

A nuestros vecinos silvestres de San Antonio, grandes o pequeños: Feliz Día de la Tierra💚🌎

04/16/2026

Meet the loggerhead shrike!/¡Les presentamos el verdugo americano!

This small but mighty bird is a type of songbird, or passerine, that has evolved a diet similar to a raptor! They catch insects, mammals, and reptiles, and will sometimes cache their food on thorns or barbed wire, earning them the name “butcher bird”! Despite their unique biology, they are threatened by habitat loss. The San Antonio Urban Wildlife Team has been collaborating with the TPWD State Ornithologist and the Toyota Texas Motor Manufacturing Plant to band shrikes for continued monitoring. With this research, we hope to learn the role that urban habitat plays for this unique native bird!

Pequeño pero fuerte, esta ave es una especie de pájaro cantor (orden Passeriformes) que evolucionó una dieta parecida a una ave rapaz. Capturan insectos, mamíferos, y reptiles, y a veces usan las espinas de plantas o alambre para guardar su comida. ¡Por eso se llaman verdugos! A pesar de sus hábitos únicos, son amenazadas por la pierda de hábitat. El equipo de Biólogos Urbanos de San Antonio ha estado colaborando con la Ornitóloga Estatal de TPWD y el Toyota Texas Motor Manufacturing Plant para anillar los verdugos para monitorearlos. Con esta investigación, ¡esperamos aprender más sobre el rol de hábitat urbano para esta ave nativa y única!

All banding is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey/ Todo el anillación está conducido bajo un permiso con la autorización federal del U.S. Geological Survey.

Photo credit/Crédito del foto: Craig Barnstrom

04/10/2026

Pollinators and flowers are a sure sign that spring has sprung! / ¡Los polinizadores y las flores son señales seguras que la primavera ya llegó!

These pictures from Alexa Volpe, member of the Alamo Area Texas Master Naturalists, show a white-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata) feeding on a pink evening primrose (Oneothera speciota). These large months are often mistaken for hummingbirds due to their size and daytime activity! They provide a great reminder to look a little bit closer at the pollinators around us – you may be surprised at what you see!

Estas fotos de Alexa Volpe, miembro del Alamo Area Texas Master Naturalists, muestran la polilla esfinge de rayas blancas (Hyles lineata), alimentándose en una onagra (Oneothera speciota). ¡Esta especie grande de polilla suele confundirse con un colibrí debido a su tamaño y actividad durante del día! Son un recordatorio genial para mirar un poquito más cerca a las pollinizadores que nos rodean – ¡quizás te sorprenderás de lo que ves!

04/07/2026

This Saturday, April 11, from 7:30-10 am, we welcome all bird watchers to a bilingual bird walk. Join Government Canyon Rangers and Verónica "La Pajarera" on the trail and learn the names of local birds in Spanish and English. This is an addition to our normally-scheduled Warbler Walk.

Este sábado, 11 de abril, de 7:30 a 10 a.m., damos la bienvenida a todos los observadores de aves a un paseo bilingüe de aves. Únete a Verónica "La Pajarera" en el sendero y aprende los nombres de las aves locales en español e inglés.

More info: https://tpwd.texas.gov/calendar/government-canyon/warbler_walk_3/2026-04-11

04/03/2026

Did you catch iNaturalist on CBS Sunday Morning recently?

The March 22 cover story featured Martha Stewart doing a bioblitz, a timed sprint to spot and identify as many species as possible, right on her farm in Bedford, New York. In just one hour, the group logged 458 different species. 🤯 And here's the local connection: Jane Weeden, Texas Master Naturalist and iNaturalist team member, was lucky enough to be part of that visit. Pretty cool to have a familiar face in the room when iNat goes prime time.

Watch the story: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-inaturalist-app-users-have-fun-while-aiding-science/

The same free app Martha was using will be at the heart of the City Nature Challenge: San Antonio Metro Area, April 24–27 — a community science event spanning the San Antonio Metro Area, a 12-county region. Whether you're a lifelong naturalist or just curious about what's visiting your backyard, the City Nature Challenge is your invitation to explore iNaturalist and contribute to real science.

Everyone is invited to the City Nature Challenge Kick-off party at Classen Steubing Ranch Park on Friday, April 24th. Full details and RSVPs can be found: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchWuRozJMzYo6xb5ghZuIoY9hFEW4BNpK-Acl_0gkeQKPSSw/viewform

Learn more and join the fun at https://cnc-sa.org/