Species of Greatest Conservation Need

**Species of Greatest Conservation Need** (Updated: 06/16/2025)
Scientifc Name	Common Name	Taxonomic Group	SGCN Status	Federal Status	State Status	Global Rank	State Rank	Endemic	General Habitat Type(s)
Passerina versicolor	varied bunting	Birds	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S4B	No	Arid thorn brush and thickets, dry washes and arid scrub (Tropical and Subtropical zones) (AOU 1983). Often near water. Often stays close to ground cover (Oberholser 1974). Nests usually low in tree, bush or vine, 0.5-1.5 m above ground (Terres 1980).
Peucaea aestivalis	Bachman's sparrow	Birds	Yes	Not Listed	T 03/01/1987	G3	S1B	No	Open pine woods with scattered bushes and grassy understory in Pineywoods region, brushy or overgrown grassy hillsides, overgrown fields with thickets and brambles, grassy orchards; remnant grasslands in Post Oak Savannah region; nests on ground against grass tuft or under low shrub
Peucaea botterii	Botteri's sparrow	Birds	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G4G5	S2B	No	Two allopatric subspecies occur in Texas. The arizonae subspecies found in the Trans Pecos is considered to be a vagrant because there is just one record from Presidio County in 1997. The other subspecies, texana, can be found regularly in sacahuista habitat (or cordgrass flats) in counties that along the lower coastline like Kenedy, Willacy, and Cameron counties, but also rarely in Kleberg and Brooks counties. This migratory species does not overwinter in Texas. Breeding birds return in spring and sit fairly visibly on (low) commanding perches like fence posts or mesquite limbs where males sing vigorously throughout summer.
Protonotaria citrea	prothonotary warbler	Birds	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S3B	No	Prothonotary Warblers breed in flooded bottomland forests, wooded swamps, and forests near lakes and streams. They tend to avoid forest patches smaller than about 250 acres or forest borders less than 100 feet wide. During migration they stop in coastal areas, marshes, citrus groves, and scrub to refuel. During the winter, they are most common in mangrove swamps, but they also use tropical dry forest and wooded areas near streams.
Quiscalus quiscula	common grackle	Birds	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S5B	No	Common Grackles do well in human landscapes, using scattered trees for nesting and open ground for foraging. Typical natural habitats include open woodland, forest edge, grassland, meadows, swamps, marshes, and palmetto hammocks. They are also very common near agricultural fields and feedlots, suburbs, city parks, cemeteries, pine plantations, and hedgerows. Unbroken tracts of forest are the only places where you are unlikely to find Common Grackles.
Rallus elegans	king rail	Birds	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G4	S3B	No	Freshwater marshes, upland-wetland marsh edges, ricefields or similar flooded farmlands, shrub swamps; locally in brackish and coastal salt marshes (AOU 1983, Sibley and Monroe 1990, Meanley 1969).
Rhynchophanes mccownii	thick-billed longspur	Birds	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G4	S4	No	During migration and in winter, Thick-billed Longspurs use short, open habitats, as well as agricultural fields and dry lake beds.
Riparia riparia	bank swallow	Birds	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S2B,S4N	No	Bank Swallows live in low areas along rivers, streams, ocean coasts, and reservoirs. Their territories usually include vertical cliffs or banks where they nest in colonies of 10 to 2,000 nests. Though in the past Bank Swallows were most commonly found around natural bluffs or eroding streamside banks, they now often nest in human-made sites, such as sand and gravel quarries or road cuts. They forage in open areas and avoid places with tree cover.
Rynchops niger	black skimmer	Birds	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S2B	No	Primarily coastal waters, including bays, estuaries, lagoons and mudflats in migration and winter (AOU 1983); also quiet waters of rivers and lakes (Stiles and Skutch 1989). Rest on mudflats, sandbars, beaches.
Setophaga chrysoparia	golden-cheeked warbler	Birds	Yes	E 12/27/1990	E 02/19/1991	G2	S2S3B	No	Ashe juniper in mixed stands with various oaks (Quercus spp.). Edges of cedar brakes. Dependent on Ashe juniper (also known as cedar) for long fine bark strips, only available from mature trees, used in nest construction; nests are placed in various trees other than Ashe juniper; only a few mature junipers or nearby cedar brakes can provide the necessary nest material; forage for insects in broad-leaved trees and shrubs; nesting late March-early summer.
Setophaga pitiayumi	tropical parula	Birds	Yes	Not Listed	T 03/01/1987	G5	S3B	No	Semi-tropical evergreen woodland along rivers and resacas. Texas ebony, anacua and other trees with epiphytic plants hanging from them. Dense or open woods, undergrowth, brush, and trees along edges of rivers and resacas; breeding April to July.
Spizella pusilla	field sparrow	Birds	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S5B	No	Field Sparrows seek out open habitat with low perches, such as abandoned agricultural fields and pastures, fencerows, road and forest edges, and openings in wooded areas. You may also spot them occasionally in Christmas tree farms, orchards, and nurseries. They�ll breed in fields that were recently burned or cultivated as long as there are some trees or other perches available, but will abandon such settings as thickets of trees grow back. In winter, look for them in settings similar to their summer habitats: abandoned fields and pastures, forest edges, and fencerows. In migration they�ll occasionally turn up in suburban yards.
Sternula antillarum	least tern	Birds	Yes	DL 02/12/2021	Not Listed	G4	S2B	No	Sand beaches, flats, bays, inlets, lagoons, islands, river sandbars and flat gravel rooftops in urban areas.
Strix occidentalis lucida	Mexican spotted owl	Birds	Yes	T 04/15/1993	T 01/30/1997	G3G4T3T4	S1B	No	Remote, shaded canyons of coniferous mountain woodlands (pine and fir); nocturnal predator of mostly small rodents and insects; day roosts in densely vegetated trees, rocky areas, or caves
Sturnella magna	eastern meadowlark	Birds	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S5B	No	Eastern Meadowlarks are most common in native grasslands and prairies, but they also occur in pastures, hayfields, agricultural fields, airports, and other grassy areas. Eastern Meadowlarks will breed in many kinds of grassy areas as long as they can find about 6 acres in which to establish a territory. Where their range overlaps with Western Meadowlarks, Eastern Meadowlarks tend to use wetter, lower-lying grasslands.
Tringa semipalmata	willet	Birds	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S5B	No	Marshes, tidal mudflats, beaches, lake margins, mangroves, tidal channels, river mouths, coastal lagoons, sandy or rocky shores, and, less frequently, open grassland (AOU 1983, Stiles and Skutch 1989).
Tympanuchus cupido attwateri	Attwater's greater prairie-chicken	Birds	Yes	E 03/11/1967	E 05/19/1974	G4T1	S1	No	Open prairies of mostly thick grass one to three feet tall; sandhill country with bunch grass, sage, and shinnery oak. From near sea level to 200 feet along coastal plain on upper two-thirds of Texas coast; males form communal display flocks during late winter-early spring; booming grounds important; breeding February-July
Tympanuchus pallidicinctus	lesser prairie-chicken	Birds	Yes	E,T 03/27/2023	E 03/27/2023	G3	S1	No	Arid grasslands, generally interspersed with shrubs such as sand sagebrush, sand plum, skunkbush sumac, and shinnery oak shrubs, but dominated by sand dropseed, sideoats grama, sand bluestem, and little bluestem grasses; nests in a scrape lined with grasses
Vireo atricapilla	black-capped vireo	Birds	Yes	DL 05/16/2018	Not Listed	G5	S3B	No	Oak-juniper woodlands with distinctive patchy, two-layered aspect; shrub and tree layer with open, grassy spaces; requires foliage reaching to ground level for nesting cover; return to same territory, or one nearby, year after year; deciduous and broad-leaved shrubs and trees provide insects for feeding; species composition less important than presence of adequate broad-leaved shrubs, foliage to ground level, and required structure; nesting season March-late summer
Zonotrichia querula	Harris' sparrow	Birds	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S4	No	Habitat descriptions from throughout the winter range include: thickets/brush bordering streams, edges of low woodlands, brush and brushy places, hedgerows, and willow thickets in ravines (Swenk and Stevens 1929).
Centropomus parallelus	fat snook	Fish - Bays and Estuaries	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S2S3	No	Occupies freshwater, estuarine, and marine areas near mangroves, rocky overhangs or protected riverbanks, but is most commonly found inshore (freshwater). Spawning occurs from March-August in freshwater. After hatching, larvae disperse with the currents to estuarine areas (Gilmore et al. 1983, McMichael and Parsons 1989). Juveniles migrate from freshwater to estuarine areas based on flow and salinity regimes.
Centropomus undecimalis	snook	Fish - Bays and Estuaries	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S3	No	Juvenile common snook are generally restricted to the protection of riverine, salt marshes, seagrass beds, and estuary environments. These environments offer shallow water and an overhanging vegetative shoreline. Juvenile common snook can survive in waters with lower oxygen levels than adults. Adult common snook inhabit many fresh, estuarine, and marine environments including mangrove forests, beaches, river mouths, nearshore reefs, salt marshes, sea grass meadows, and near structure (pilings, artificial reefs, etc.). Adult common snook appear to be less sensitive to cold water temperatures than larvae or small juveniles. The lower lethal limit of water temperature is 48.2�-57.2� F (9�-14� C) for juveniles and 42.8�-53.6� F (6�-12� C) for adults (Hill 2005, Press 2010).
Ctenogobius claytonii	Mexican goby	Fish - Bays and Estuaries	Yes	Not Listed	T 01/30/1997	GNR	S1	No	Southern coastal area; brackish and freshwater coastal streams; tidal freshwater associated with silty sandbars and grass beds.
Fundulus jenkinsi	saltmarsh topminnow	Fish - Bays and Estuaries	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G3	S3	No	Occupies estuaries and the edges of saltmarsh habitats along the Gulf coast in salinities of 4-20 ppt in Spartina dominated tidal creeks and wetlands (Peterson & Ross 1991; Peterson & Turner 1994; Lopez et al. 2010; and Griffith 1974). Requires access to small interconnected tidal creeks for feeding and reproduction. Spawning occurs from March to August during high tide events (Robertson Thesis, 2016). Non-migratory.
Menidia clarkhubbsi	Texas silverside	Fish - Bays and Estuaries	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G1	S3	Yes	This coastal species inhabits ponds, shallow bays, and estuaries. It is an all-female species that relies on fertilization from males of Menidia beryllina or M. peninsulae. Identification is near impossible unless using genetic techniques (Chernoff 2002).