Davis Mountains and Davis Mountains State Park

The Davis Mountains represent the most extensive mountain range in Texas (675 square miles above 5,500 feet elevation). The great majority of the Davis Mountains is private property, and birders must not trespass. Public access is extremely limited; none of the forested highlands are currently available to birders. Most of the area ranchers zealously protect their land, and birders who do not heed “no trespassing” signs make it even more difficult for those who do. Davis Mountains State Park encompasses 2,777 acres within the pinyon-juniperoak-grassland environment. The park offers extensive hiking trails, interpretive activities, and bird banding seminars in spring and fall. Key Birds: “Mexican Duck” (Mallard), Golden Eagle, Prairie Falcon, Scaled and Montezuma Quail, Band-tailed Pigeon, Greater Roadrunner, White-throated Swift, Acorn Woodpecker, Black and Say’s Phoebes, Western Scrub-Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Pygmy Nuthatch, Canyon and Rock Wrens, Curve-billed Thrasher, Phainopepla, Pyrrhuloxia, Canyon Towhee, Rufous-crowned and Blackchinned Sparrows, and Lesser Goldfinch are present year-round. Swainson’s and Zone-tailed Hawks; Common Black-Hawk; Common Poorwill; Lesser and Common Nighthawks; Blue-throated, Blackchinned, and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds; Ash-throated Flycatcher; Cassin’s Kingbird; Violet-green Swallow; Chihuahuan Raven; Bell’s and Plumbeous (Solitary) Vireos; Virginia’s and Grace’s Warblers; Hepatic and Western Tanagers; Painted Bunting; and Bronzed Cowbird occur in summer. Rough-legged, Ferruginous, and Harris’s Hawks; Merlin; Red-naped and Williamson’s Sapsuckers; Pinyon Jay; Sage Thrasher; Mountain and Eastern Bluebirds; Townsend’s Solitaire; Green-tailed Towhee; Chestnut-collared and McCown’s Longspurs; Cassin’s Finch; Red Crossbill; and Evening Grosbeak 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.