Cross Timbers Conservancy

Preserving one of the least disturbed ecosystems in Texas

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Endangered and Threatened Species

Endangered Species

Birds

Interior Least Tern (Sterna antillarum athalossos).  Status: Federal "LE"; State "E"

This small tern breeds on sand bars of the Red River all along the border between Oklahoma and Texas, including Montague and Cooke Counties, TX, in the Western Cross Timbers.  Its distribution is restricted to the less altered and more natural or little disturbed river segments.  It winters on the coasts of Central America and northern South America, migrating south through central Texas.

Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla).  Status: Federal "LE"; State "E"

Once common from north-central Mexico through Texas and Oklahoma into Kansas, it is now confined to Texas and three counties in Oklahoma.  In breeding, it prefers small oak and sumac shrubs, and requires open spaces between the clumps of vegetation with foliage that reaches the ground to provide cover.  This habitat, once common, is still to be found in the less-disturbed areas of the Cross Timbers.

Whooping Crane (Crus americana).  Status: Federal "LE"; State "E"

The remaining natural flock numbers some 149 birds.  They breed in Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada's Northwest Territory, and migrate in late September through the Western Cross Timbers of Texas to their wintering grounds in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas coast.  In our area the whooping cranes use the extensive network of flood control reservoirs and ponds for resting and feeding during migration.

Eskimo Curlew (Numenius borealis)  Status: Federal "LE"; State "E"

This small shorebird nests in the Alaskan and Canadian Arctic, and migrates through the Cross Timbers of our area to their wintering grounds on the Pampas grasslands of Argentina.  They were once abundant on the grasslands of Texas during their spring migration back to the Arctic.  Only 70 birds have been seen anywhere in the past 50 years.

Mammals

Gray Wolf (Canis lupus).  Status: Federal "LE"; State "E"

Historical range of the Gray Wolf included Cooke and Montague counties on the east, south and west through the Cross Timbers.  Preying on deer and cattle, they were hunted almost to extinction in the lower 48 states under predator control programs, until federally protected in 1973.  There are now relatively large numbers in Minnesota, and they have been reintroduced throughout the Rocky Mountains down into New Mexico and Arizona.

Red Wolf (Canis rufus).  Status: Federal "LE"; State "E"

The Red Wolf has the appearance of a larger, more robust Coyote.  It feeds on rabbits, small deer, and small calves.  They were once common from the Texas Gulf Coast through central Missouri, and east throughout the southeastern US.  Their range extended west past Wichita Falls, and throughout the Cross Timbers.  They are now being reintroduced at numerous places from 22 captive breeding facilities.

Threatened Species

Birds

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).  Status: Federal "LT-PDL"; State "T"

The Bald Eagle has made a significant recovery since first listed as endangered in 1978.  In our area it has been seen on the Red River, at Moss Lake, and Lake Texoma.  It has also been sighted at Lake Lewisville, Lake Worth, and the Brazos River near Granbury.  They nest from October to July, with peak egg-laying in December and hatching in January.  Cooke and northeastern Montague Counties are both nesting and wintering areas for these magnificent raptors.

Mammals

Texas Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys elator)  Status: Federal "L"; State "T"

This resident of western Montague County, TX, lives on clay soils supporting sparse short grasses and mesguite bushes.  It has been threatened by the clearing of mesquite.

Reptiles

Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum).  Status: Federal "C2"; State "T"

The "Horny Toad" digs for cover in the loose sandy soils of the Cross Timbers.  They range from northern Mexico, throughout Texas and Oklahoma into Kansas.

Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)  Status: Federal "NL"; State "T"

The Timber Rattlesnake, called the Canebreak Rattlesnake in southeast Texas, inhabits the hilly woodlands and moist stream courses and ponds of the Cross Timbers.  They are relatively non-aggressive ambush hunters, active during the day and night.  They are large, thick bodied snakes, with a black tail, weighing up to 2 pounds, and reaching a length of 40 to 60 inches.  The largest recorded was 74 1/2 inches.  Being difficult to provoke, they have been easily killed.

 For more information on endangered and threatened species in Texas and the United States, go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife sites http://gis.tpwd.state.tx.us/TpwEndangeredSpecies/DesktopDefault.aspx, and http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/.