Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge

The oldest national wildlife refuge in Texas, Muleshoe was established as a wintering area for migratory waterfowl and Sandhill Crane. The refuge includes 5,809 acres of prairie and sink-type lakes with no outlets. Refuge roads are open from dawn to dusk, but the refuge headquarters (2.25 miles west of SH 214) is open Monday through Friday from 8 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Key birds: Lesser Prairie-Chicken, Scaled Quail, Greater Roadrunner, Cactus Wren, Curve-billed Thrasher, Canyon Towhee, and Rufouscrowned Sparrow are present year-round. Swainson’s Hawk, Snowy Plover, Burrowing Owl, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, and Grasshopper Sparrow occur in summer. Bald Eagle; Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks; Golden Eagle; Prairie Falcon; Sandhill Crane; Eastern, Western, and Mountain Bluebirds; Lark Bunting; and McCown’s and Chestnut-collared Longspurs 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.