Hueco Tanks State Park

This 860-acre park is dominated by Chihuahuan Desert vegetation encircled by granitic cliffs 100 to 400 feet high, a half-mile wide, and extending about a mile in length. The cliffs form three natural amphitheaters that contain shallow water most of the time; hence the name “hueco,” Spanish for “tank.” Scattered rock paintings, some believed to date back about 6,000 years, occur at about 20 sites. In addition, the massive cliffs are extremely popular with rock climbers, who can dominate the park during weekends and holidays. Key Birds: Golden Eagle; Prairie Falcon; Scaled and Gambel’s Quail; Greater Roadrunner; White-throated Swift; Say’s Phoebe; Chihuahuan Raven; Verdin; Cactus, Rock, and Canyon Wrens; Black-tailed Gnatcatcher; Curve-billed and Crissal Thrashers; Pyrrhuloxia; Canyon Towhee; and Black-throated Sparrow are present year-round. Swainson’s Hawk, Burrowing Owl, Lesser Nighthawk, Common Poorwill, Cassin’s Sparrow, and Scott’s Oriole occur in summer. Ferruginous Hawk; Merlin; Long-eared Owl; Black Phoebe; Eastern, Western, and Mountain Bluebirds; Townsend’s Solitaire; Sage Thrasher; Phainopepla; Green-tailed Towhee; and Brewer’s, Blackchinned, Sage, and Swamp Sparrows can usually be found in winter. This eTrail provides detailed information on birding strategies for this specific location, the specialty birds and other key birds you might see, directions to each birding spot, a detailed map, and helpful general information.