GULF OF MEXICO 



529 



have been studied much more intensively than 

 others. Indeed, there are vast stretches of the 

 Gulf coast, such as in Mexico, where the littoral 

 birds have been almost entirely ignored. There 

 are shorebirds, for example, which are known to 



be regularly abundant on the coast of Texas but 

 for which there are no records at all for adjacent 

 Tamaulipas. Therefore, conclusions based on 

 relative abundance as indicated in the following 

 outline should be formulated with caution. 



COASTAL BREEDING BIRDS 



**White Pelican, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos. — Irregular 

 breeder in Texas; winter visitant to all coasts, most 

 abundant from Florida to Texas, a mere straggler in 

 Cuba. 



***Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis. — Abundant 

 resident throughout. 



**Double-crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus. — 

 Common (Cuba and Florida) to rare and irregular 

 (Texas) summer resident or breeder; common visitant 

 to Quintana Roo. 



**01ivaceous Cormorant, Phalacrocorax olivaceus. — Fairly 

 common to abundant resident from Louisiana counter- 

 clockwise to Cuba. 



***Man-o'-war-bird, Fregaia magnificens. — Occurs in colo- 

 nies at Tamiahua Lagoon, Veracruz, on Contoy Island, 

 and in Cuba; one report of nesting in Texas; abundant 

 visitant, mainly April to October, to coastal islands all 

 around Gulf, infrequently appearing over the inshore 

 waters. 



***Great White Heron, Ardea occidentalis. — Resident in 

 Cuba (sparingly) and on Florida Keys (in fair numbers) ; 

 extremely rare visitant to Mississippi, Texas, and 

 Yucatdn. 



**Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias. — Common resident 

 and breeder from Cuba to Texas; common winter 

 visitor on all coasts. 



**American Egret, Casrnerodias albus. — Common resident 

 throughout, less numerous in winter on northern coast. 



**Snowy Egret, Leucophoyx Ihxda. — Status essentially the 

 same as that of preceding species. 



***Reddish Egret, Dichromanassa rufescens. — Uncommon 

 to locally common breeder from Texas counterclockwise 

 to southern Florida; rare to uncommon visitant from 

 northwest Florida to Louisiana, extremely rare in winter. 



**Louisiana Heron, H ydranassa tricolor. — Abundant sum- 

 mer resident throughout; uncommon in midwinter on 

 northern coast. 



*Little Blue Heron, Florida caerulea. — Fairly common to 

 abundant throughout; uncommon to rare in midwinter 

 on the northern coast. 



**Black-crowned Night Heron, Nyclicorax nycticorax. — 

 Breeds from Cuba counterclockwise to Veracruz but 

 common as a breeder only in Florida; more plentiful 

 after the nesting season. 



*American Bittern, Botaurus lentiginosus. — Breeds occa- 

 sionally in Florida and Louisiana; fairly common winter 

 visitant to all coasts. 



**Least Bittern, Ixobrychus exilis. — Uncommon to locally 

 common resident, recorded from all coasts; extremely 

 rare on Gulf coast of United States in winter. 



Boat-billed Heron, Cochlearius cocMearius. — Resident from 

 Tamaulipas to Yucatfo, but relative abundance in 

 tidewater uncertain. 



♦Wood Ibis, Mycteria americana. — Mainly a fall transient 

 and summer resident (not certainly known to breed) 

 from northwestern Florida to Texas; locally common 

 resident on the more southern coasts. 



**White-faced Ibis, Plegadis mexicana. — Resident from 

 Louisiana to Veracruz, but less numerous in winter in 

 northern part of range. 



**Roseate Spoonbill, Ajaia ajaja. — Increasingly numerous 

 resident, at least locally, from southwestern Louisiana 

 counterclockwise to southern Florida; rare or absent 

 from northwest Florida to central Louisiana, especially 

 in winter. 



***Flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber. — Breeds in Yucatdn 

 and Cuba; winter visitant to Campeche; occasional 

 visitant to Florida, Texas, and (formerly) the inter- 

 vening coast. 



**Mottled Duck, Anas fulvigula. — Fairly common resi- 

 dent from Florida west to Texas, unrecorded as a breeder 

 between central Florida and Louisiana. 



*Blue-winged Teal, Anas discors. — Uncommon local 

 breeder in Louisiana and Texas; winter visitant to all 

 coasts; most common from September to April. 



**Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leitcocephabts. — Breeds from 

 Florida (in numbers) to Texas (less numerously) ; rare 

 from May to August. 



**Osprey, Pandion haliaetus. — Breeds in Yucatdn, and 

 from Florida to Texas; occurs in migration on all coasts; 

 extremely rare on northern Gulf coast in December and 

 January. 



***Clapper Rail, Rallus longiroslris. — Abundant and sed- 

 entary resident from Yucatdn counterclockwise to 

 Texas. 



***Rufous-necked Wood Rail, Aramides axillaris. — Resident 

 in coastal lagoons of Yucatan. 



***Black Rail, Laterallus jamaicensis. — Known to nest 

 rarely in Florida; casually recorded in migration or as 

 winter visitant in Cuba, Louisiana, and Texas; not re- 

 ported in January or February or from June to August. 



♦American Coot, Fulica americana. — Local breeder in 

 small numbers from Cuba counterclockwise to Texas; 

 recorded in June in Veracruz; visitant to all coasts, 

 mainly October to April. 



***American Oyster-catcher, Haematopus palliatus. — Un- 

 common local breeder, definitely known to nest only in 

 Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, but also recorded from 

 Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Yucatdn, and Cuba. 



