Wildlife Viewing
Your Texas State Parks offer a rich diversity of wildlife and habitats. Here are a few of the local four-legged, finned, feathered and furry residents you might see.
Always maintain a safe distance from wildlife.
Prairies and Lakes
This shy, nocturnal cat has small tufts on the tips of its ears. The bobcat has adapted to thrive even in landscapes near urban areas.
Seen on wires and fences along roadsides, these birds feed mainly on insects by "hawking", waiting on a perch and flying out to catch them in flight.
Big Bend
Gray Fox
This elusive, mostly nocturnal mammal can climb trees to hunt or escape danger.
This small, pig-like animal has a white ring around its neck, where it gets its proper name — collared peccary.
Gulf Coast
You may see one of these curious, intelligent mammals leaping offshore or swimming in the bay along with the ferries and boats.
South Texas Plains
This swift bird gets its name because it often prefers to run rather than fly, chasing down food such as small reptiles or fleeing from danger.
Pineywoods
This sleek, streamlined swimmer assures its water supply and establishes its territory by building a dam and home of mud, rocks and wood.
Red-headed Woodpecker
The red-headed woodpecker is striking at rest and in flight, by showing its colors of red, black and white. Also look for the red crest and black body of the pileated woodpecker, one of the largest woodpeckers in North America.
Hill Country
These shy, docile rodents eat tree bark, are excellent climbers, and are known mostly for their sharp quill-tipped, bushy hair. Give them space from you and your pets.
This large upland game bird lives in tree-lined or brushy areas, often near streams and rivers, and although it roosts in the tops of tall trees, it nests on the ground.
Panhandle Plains
Mule Deer
Found mostly in West and Northwest Texas, this hearty, hoffed animal will often appear to "hop" on all fours for a quick escape, rather than run.
Look for their homes: large, bare patches of open ground with colonies of small dirt mounds atop their mounds, called "prairie dog towns."
