AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – In 2023, Texas was the state in the US with the fourth-highest number of endangered animals. While many species around the Texas Panhandle and High Plains are migratory birds that rely on the unique playa lakes of the region, it also has year-round animals in need of awareness and conservation.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has highlighted a number of the “species of concern” – those that are endangered or threatened – that dwell around the High Plains.
As noted in previous reports on MyHighPlains.com, the US Environmental Protection Agency described a species of plant or animal is considered endangered when they become so rare they are at risk of becoming extinct. Threatened species are plants or animals that are likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.
Amid ongoing efforts by local organizations and coalitions to promote the conservation and ecological recovery of the High Plains for the benefit of native species, water and sustainable communities, here’s a look at a few of the endangered or threatened animals of the region. The listed statuses of these species were official as of May 2024.
American Peregrine Falcon
The American peregrine falcon is a potential migratory species found around the Texas Panhandle and High Plains region, which the TPWD noted regularly nests in West Texas.
One of the best-known raptors in North America, the peregrines have three subspecies: the American or continental peregrine falcon, the tundra or arctic peregrine falcon, and the Peale’s peregrine falcon. They are one of the fastest birds of prey and primarily feed on other birds.
The National Park Service noted that the population declines of the species are commonly attributed to problems with eggshell thinning caused by persistent pollutants such as DDT.
Bald Eagle
Named the national symbol of the US by Congress in 1782, bald eagles are found primarily near coasts, rivers and large lakes and nest in tall trees or on cliffs near water. They feed on live prey including fish, small mammals and waterfowl as well as carrion. The NPS noted that its numbers declined dramatically in the 1900s due to habitat loss, shooting and pesticide contamination.
The NPS noted that bald eagles may also reuse the same nest year after year, and juveniles sometimes migrate west. The TPWD detailed that bald eagles tend to nest in Texas from October to July, with peak egg-laying occurring in December.
Ferruginous Hawk
The ferruginous hawk is listed by the state as a species of concern and the federal government is awaiting additional information before deciding if the species should be given federal status as an endangered or threatened species.
The largest hawk in North America, the TPWD said the hawk ranges over much of the western half of the US. Historically, the species breeds in Texas, but that is no longer the case today. A pair of nesting birds today is more likely supported far into the northwestern Panhandle said TPWD.
TPWD said the widespread control of prairie dogs, a vital food source of the hawk, is a potential factor for the decline in the species.
Lesser Prairie Chicken
The lesser prairie chicken’s range covers a portion of the Permian Basin along the New Mexico-Texas state line and extends into parts of Colorado, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The habitat of the bird, a type of grouse, has diminished across about 90% of its historical range states an earlier report on MyHighPlains.com.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “the lesser prairie-chickens decline is a sign our native grasslands and prairies are in peril. These habitats support a diversity of wildlife and are valued for water quality, climate resilience, grazing, hunting, and recreation.”
Mountain Plover
One of the innumerable species that nests on the High Plains in the shortgrass prairies and shallow depressions in fields, the mountain plovers have become scarce in the last two centuries because of land use changes destroying their wintering habitats in the west.
Texas A&M AgriLife Research described the mountain plovers as having a breeding range with the south end located in Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. In Texas, the plovers tend to arrive on their breeding grounds from early March to late April and remain for breeding through August.
As noted by the TPWD, these birds are most often insectivorous and also often associated with large prairie dog towns.
Western Burrowing Owl
The burrowing owl is described by the TPWD as “a ground-dwelling bird with distinctive long legs, a short tail, and very serious-looking eyes.”
Befitting their name, burrowing owls excavate their homes in grasslands and deserts, often nesting in vacated prairie dog burrows while eating mostly insects, rodents or other birds.
The owls nest with eggs tending to hatch between March and July, noted the TPWD, and have a defense mechanism allowing owlets to perfectly mimic the rattling sound of prairie rattlesnakes.
Whooping Crane
A species with a migration path that takes it through a part of the panhandle, the whooping crane has been listed as endangered since 1970. The crane has three populations that exist in the Kissimmee Prairie of Florida, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, and a very small captive-bred population in Wisconsin.
According to TPWD, the population that exists at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is currently the only population of the species that migrates. The bird migrates throughout the central portion of Texas from the eastern part of the Panhandle to the DFW area and south through the Austin area to the central coast during October, November, and again in April, said the department.
Sightings of the now rare bird can be reported to Texas Parks and Wildlife on its Texas Nature Tracker. As of December 2019, TPW said the Whooping Crane Conservation Association reports that there are nearly 700 wild Whooping Cranes and another 153 in captivity.
Interior Least Tern
Although the interior least tern isn’t considered endangered when on the coast, it is so when found inland – such as in the High Plains, where it nests along the Canadian River and Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River habitats in many Texas Panhandle counties.
The TPWD described the birds as a subspecies that nests along sand and gravel bars within braided streams and rivers, eating small fish and crustaceans.
As part of its research and conservation efforts, the TPWD noted the interior least tern as one among the species dependent upon its listed ecologically significant river and stream segments.
Black-footed Ferret
The Black-Footed Ferret has not been seen in Texas since 1963 said the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The ferret listed as endangered since 1967 historically made its home in the High Plains, Rolling Plains, and Trans-Pecos regions.
According to TPWD, the ferret relies on prairie dogs for food and shelter making up 90% of its diet. Scientists estimate that over 100 million acres of western rangelands were occupied by prairie dogs in the early 1900s and the prairie dog occupied much of that same area.
TPWD said the species is endangered citing that much of the shortgrass prairie that makes up its habitat has been plowed for crops Its main food source, the prairie dog, has been reduced due to habitat loss and disease as well as having been killed to protect grass and winter wheat crops.
Black-tailed Prairie Dog
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Black-tailed Prairie Dog has an important role in the prairie ecosystem. The prairie dog serves as a food source for the many predators in the region including the Black-Footed Ferret and leaves vacant burrows for the burrowing owl, the Texas horned lizard, rabbits, hares, and even rattlesnakes.
“Although it is true that large concentrations of prairie dogs can damage cultivated crops or compete seriously with livestock, the wisdom of eliminating them entirely from rangelands has not been proven,” said the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
TPWD said the prairie dog is still common, today, though less than 1% of its population and habitat remain.
Cave Myotis Bat
Described by the Texas Tech University Natural Science Research Laboratory, the cave myotis bat is a colonial, cave-dwelling bat that roosts in caves, rock crevices, old buildings, carports, under bridges, and in abandoned cliff swallow nests. It is noted as second in abundance only to its cousin bat species resident in the Edwards Plateau.
The cave myotis bat can be found hibernating in gypsum caves in the Texas Panhandle alongside big-eared bats, Brazilian free-tailed bats, big brown bats, Yuma myotis, and ghost-faced bats, according to the TTU laboratory.
TTU also described the bats as mostly opportunistic insectivores that typically give birth in the spring. The TPWD listed them as a state species of concern for conservation efforts.
Swift Fox
Considered a federal species of concern according to the TPWD, the swift fox is a species restricted to shortgrass prairie lands in the western and northern portions of the Texas Panhandle.
Described to be about the size of a housecat, the TPWD noted that the swift fox is the smallest of the American foxes, with pale yellow fur and brownish ears with a fluffy and black-spotted tail.
The swift foxes are most often nocturnal animals and rely on speed and nearness to their dens for safety, mostly dieting on small mammals such as kangaroo rats, jackrabbits, cottontails, and rodents, but they will also eat insects, small birds, lizards, amphibians, and fish. The TPWD noted that swift foxes are not typically suspicious of humans, so they tend to be easily trapped or poisoned; this has led to their numbers greatly declining.
Palo Duro Mouse
The Palo Duro mouse is restricted to the rocky, juniper-mesquite covered slopes of the canyons on the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado as well as the juniper woodlands in the canyon areas of the Texas Panhandle.
As described by the TPWD and the TTU Natural Science Research Laboratory, the mouse only exists in four counties in the Texas Panhandle and one county in the Big Bend Country. Both the Palo Duro mouse and the piñon deermouse are considered rather rare in Texas, but the Palo Duro mouse has been observed to eat mostly insects and spiders.
In the state of Texas, the TPWD noted that it is listed as a threatened species, with photos and sightings of the mouse few and far between.
Texas Kangaroo Rat
The Texas Kangaroo Rat is found in north-central Texas from Cottle and Motley counties in the west to Montague County in the east.
The rat lives in underground dens at the base or root of small mesquite trees and only comes out at night.
The Texas Kangaroo Rat is listed as “threatened” by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department with its primary threat being the clearing of the mesquite brush to which it is restricted.
Sand Dune Lizard
The US Fish and Wildlife Service recently listed the dunes sagebrush lizard – also known as the sand dune lizard on the TPWD website – as an endangered species, currently considered rare and found only in shinnery oak and sand dune ecosystems in southern New Mexico and West Texas.
The lizard was described by the FWS as a 2.5-inch-long lizard with the second-smallest range of any lizard in North America. They tend to burrow into sand beneath low-lying shinnery oak shrubs and have a diet mostly of insects and spiders among the wind-blown dunes.
The dunes sagebrush lizard has experienced much of its habitat being destroyed, according to FWS, due to factors such as oil and gas development, sand mining and climate change.
Texas Horned Lizard
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife, the Texas Horned Lizard, “Horny Toad”, is listed by the state as a threatened species. The lizard’s home extends from the south-central U.S. to northern Mexico, through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and New Mexico.
A species that could once be seen across many parts of the state has now thrived in some parts and is scarcely seen in others, according to a 10-year report by Texas volunteer scientist that tracked sightings of the animal.
A search of rare, threatened, and endangered species, broken down by county, can be found on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s website.
For the latest Amarillo news and regional updates, check with MyHighPlains.com and tune in to KAMR Local 4 News at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 p.m. and Fox 14 News at 9:00 p.m. CST.
