Spotted Redshank: Large sandpiper, mostly black body in summer except for white rump, white spots on wings, barred tail. I live outside of Brady Texas. I saw one the other evening but couldn't get a picture. The rich brown females are about half the male’s size. Birding in Texas is year-round, thanks to our location and diverse eco-regions, and can be rewarding in every corner of the state. No condors live in Texas. Black vultures reside throughout Texas, except in the Panhandle and most of West Texas. Feeds and forages on land or in shallow water by probing in mud, and sweeping bill back and forth. I have heard of a big black bird with white tail feathers that prey on baby goats, eating their eyeballs. A big, brash blackbird, the male Great-tailed Grackle shimmers in iridescent black and purple, and trails a tail that will make you look twice. It is distinguished from the other common North American vulture the Turkey Vulture by its more compact body shape and bright gray wing tips. Perhaps the most intelligent of our birds, the resourceful and highly social Crow is often heard calling from tree tops or found roosting in large groups. North America has three vultures: California condor, turkey vulture and black vulture. Solid black with a bright red stripe at bottom of the wing. Every year, millions of Grackles judge Houston drivers while perched atop of power lines. Feeds on marine worms and insects. No condors live in Texas. Commonly occurring in rafts, or large floating flocks of birds, this all-dark bird has a pale white bill and feeds on aquatic organisms and vegetation. Cover illustration of Downy Woodpecker by Rob Fleming. HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A northwest Houston Walmart parking looked like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds." Strong direct flight with powerful rapid wing beats. Birding is one of the fastest-growing outdoor activities in the U.S. With 639 species of birds documented in Texas, things really are bigger and better here in the Lone Star State. They are opportunists that eat small animals, carrion, fruit, eggs, garbage, or just about anything else that is edible. Vent and wing stripe visible in flight. Winter bird (shown) has gray upperparts and white underparts. I have been researching and come up empty handed. Sexes are similar. Brewer's Blackbirds usually are found in small flocks and do not generally associate with other species. Don't know the name, but once you see it that's the last you see it. Legs and feet are dark red. accidental in South Texas American Crow • Large, overall black bird with short tail and moderately heavy bill • Often found in groups foraging on ground • Distinctive “caw, caw” call • Present statewide, but scarce in Edwards Plateau, South Texas and Trans-Pecos Chihuahuan Raven • Longer-winged and heavier-billed than crows It was not a red-winged black bird, those have the red at there shoulders. North America has three vultures: California condor, turkey vulture and black vulture. It has a black face, throat and belly and white forehead and crown that extends over the eye, down the back and sides of the neck. I have seen many dove, sparrows and black birds in and around the feeder and bird bath but have just recently noticed a solid black bird with a white strip on the wings.