Species of Greatest Conservation Need

1279 species
Taxonomic Group
Federal Status
State Status
Endemic

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Species of Greatest Conservation Need (Updated: 01/31/2024)
Common Name Scientifc Name Taxonomic Group Federal Status State Status Global Rank State Rank Endemic General Habitat Type(s)
rufa red knot Calidris canutus rufa Birds LT T G4T2 S2N False The county distribution for this species includes geographic areas that the species may use during migration. Time of year should be factored into evaluations to determine potential presence of this species in a specific county. Habitat: Primarily seacoasts on tidal flats and beaches, herbaceous wetland, and Tidal flat/shore. Bolivar Flats in Galveston County, sandy beaches Mustang Island, few on outer coastal and barrier beaches, tidal mudflats and salt marshes.
Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus Birds Not Listed Not Listed G5 S3 True Migrant: Flooded (preferred, 3" deep) or saturated mudflat foraging habitat with sparse, short or no vegetation; managed and/or inland wetlands, agriculture or grasslands
Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri Birds Not Listed Not Listed G5 S5 False Migrant: Laguna Madre - Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge coastal marsh systems
Scaled Quail Callipepla squamata Birds Not Listed Not Listed G5 S4B False Year-round: Arid and semi-arid lowland mixed shortgrass and midgrass prairies within a matrix of sparse low-growing shrubs in level or rugged terrain; throughout West Texas, except in the higher elevations (above 6,500 feet) and throughout the Panhandle where the highest densities occur along drainages, canyons and rough breaks
northern beardless-tyrannulet Camptostoma imberbe Birds Not Listed T G5 S3B False Mesquite woodlands; also cottonwood, willow, elm, and tepeguaje near the Rio Grande. Breeding April to July
Chuck-will's-widow Caprimulgus carolinensis Birds Not Listed Not Listed G5 S3S4B False Breeding: Drier woodland habitats, with some natural openings and/or adjacent to grassland/pasture/marshland for foraging; low density of canopy trees and an open mid-story maintained by frequent fires; relatively open forests or at edges of denser mixed pine and deciduous forests
piping plover Charadrius melodus Birds LT T G3 S2N False The county distribution for this species includes geographic areas that the species may use during migration. Time of year should be factored into evaluations to determine potential presence of this species in a specific county. Beaches, sandflats, and dunes along Gulf Coast beaches and adjacent offshore islands. Also spoil islands in the Intracoastal Waterway. Based on the November 30, 1992 Section 6 Job No. 9.1, Piping Plover and Snowy Plover Winter Habitat Status Survey, algal flats appear to be the highest quality habitat. Some of the most important aspects of algal flats are their relative inaccessibility and their continuous availability throughout all tidal conditions. Sand flats often appear to be preferred over algal flats when both are available, but large portions of sand flats along the Texas coast are available only during low-very low tides and are often completely unavailable during extreme high tides or strong north winds. Beaches appear to serve as a secondary habitat to the flats associated with the primary bays, lagoons, and inter-island passes. Beaches are rarely used on the southern Texas coast, where bayside habitat is always available, and are abandoned as bayside habitats become available on the central and northern coast. However, beaches are probably a vital habitat along the central and northern coast (i.e. north of Padre Island) during periods of extreme high tides that cover the flats. Optimal site characteristics appear to be large in area, sparsely vegetated, continuously available or in close proximity to secondary habitat, and with limited human disturbance.
mountain plover Charadrius montanus Birds Not Listed Not Listed G3 S2 False The county distribution for this species includes geographic areas that the species may use during migration. Time of year should be factored into evaluations to determine potential presence of this species in a specific county. Breeding: nests on high plains or shortgrass prairie, on ground in shallow depression; nonbreeding: shortgrass plains and bare, dirt (plowed) fields; primarily insectivorous.
Snowy Plover Charadrius nivosus Birds Not Listed Not Listed G3 S3B False Algal flats appear to be the highest quality habitat. Some of the most important aspects of algal flats are their relative inaccessibility and their continuous availability throughout all tidal conditions. An optimal site characteristic would be large in size. The size of populations appear to be roughly proportional to the total area of suitable habitat used. Formerly an uncommon breeder in the Panhandle; potential migrant; winter along coast.
Wilson's Plover Charadrius wilsonia Birds Not Listed Not Listed G5 S3B False Year-round: Sea level on broad, open sand flats, shorelines, and open spaces between dunes, salt or alkaline flats near brackish or salt water
Black Tern Chlidonias niger Birds Not Listed Not Listed G4G5 S3 False Migrant: River mouth, estuary, tidal flats (e.g. San Luis Pass) and shorelines
Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus Birds Not Listed Not Listed G5 S4B False Year-round: Riparian areas, mixed-grass and shortgrass uplands (some tall grass prairie also, but not preferred) with a shrub component and sparse litter; oak or mesquite savanna or parkland; sandhills; barrens; oldfields; cultivated fields; shrub thickets; woodland edges; shelterbelts; parks; brushy pastures; and in some instances overgrazed pastures
hook-billed kite Chondrohierax uncinatus Birds Not Listed Not Listed G4 S1 False Dense tropical and subtropical forests, but does occur in open woodlands; uncommon to rare in most of range; accidental in south Texas
Northern Harrier Circus hudsonius Birds Not Listed Not Listed G5 S2B,S3N False Year-round: Open habitats, including marshes and grasslands
Sedge Wren Cistothorus stellaris Birds Not Listed Not Listed G5 S4 False Winter: In pine savanna, may prefer woody understory vegetation and bog areas; in coastal prairies, preference appears to be for dense herbaceous vegetation
western yellow-billed cuckoo Coccyzus americanus occidentalis Birds LT Not Listed G5T2T3 S4S5B False Status applies only to western population beyond the Pecos River Drainage; breeds in riparian habitat and associated drainages; springs, developed wells, and earthen ponds supporting mesic vegetation; deciduous woodlands with cottonwoods and willows; dense understory foliage is important for nest site selection; nests in willow, mesquite, cottonwood, and hackberry; forages in similar riparian woodlands; breeding season mid-May-late Sept.
Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus Birds Not Listed Not Listed G4G5 S4B False Year-round: Mixed brush and grassland; brushy rangeland interspersed with bunchgrasses and cactus, stream courses and flood plains dotted with croplands offer prime habitat
Montezuma Quail Cyrtonyx montezumae Birds Not Listed Not Listed G4G5 S3B False Open pine-oak or juniper-oak with ground cover of bunch grass on flats and slopes of semi-desert mountains and hills; travels in pairs or small groups; eats succulents, acorns, nuts, and weed seeds, as well as various invertebrates
Cerulean Warbler Dendroica cerulea Birds Not Listed Not Listed G4 SHB,S3N False Treetops of riverbank woodlands, swamps, and bottomlands; mainly insectivorous
Yellow-throated Warbler Dendroica dominica Birds Not Listed Not Listed G5 S4B False Breeding: Mature bottomland hardwoods forest and dry, upland oak-pine forest; strong affinity for cypress along the Coastal Plains, but along inland rivers prefer sycamores; uses Spanish moss for both foraging and nesting; interior and edge species which may occur in woodlots as small as 6 ha
red-cockaded woodpecker Dryobates borealis Birds LE E G3 S2 False Cavity nests in older pine (60+ years); forages in younger pine (30+ years); prefers longleaf, shortleaf, and loblolly
Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus Birds Not Listed Not Listed G5 S4B False Year-round: Closed canopy, large tract, older successional age classes of bottomland hardwoods, longleaf pine savanna, and mixed pine-hardwood stands, all with an abundance of large (>30 cm d.b.h.) snags - limiting factor
Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea Birds Not Listed Not Listed G5 S5B False Breeding: Upland woods and motts with closed canopies, riparian tree sites, swamps, and wooded inland and coastal islands
reddish egret Egretta rufescens Birds Not Listed T G4 S2B False Resident of the Texas Gulf Coast; brackish marshes and shallow salt ponds and tidal flats; nests on ground or in trees or bushes, on dry coastal islands in brushy thickets of yucca and prickly pear
Snowy Egret Egretta thula Birds Not Listed Not Listed G5 S5B False Breeding: Nest with other colonial waterbird species, e.g., small tracts of isolated upland woods or mottes, wooded stream sides, inland wooded islands in reservoirs, swamps, and natural and dredge-material (spoil) coastal islands inhabit coastal wetlands and river drainage basins; salt and freshwater wetlands, especially in marshes, swamps, oxbow lakes, stream edges, and coastal lagoons and bays; microhabitats including open areas within dense marshes and swamps, small tidal creeks, open shallows at edges of wetlands, and human-made habitats, e.g., wet depressions in pastures and rice fields, farm and aquaculture ponds, roadside ditches and canals