Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Map of Texas
Location	Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Nearest city	Alamo, Texas
Coordinates	26°4′59″N 98°8′6″W / 26.08306°N 98.13500°W / 26.08306; -98.13500Coordinates: 26°4′59″N 98°8′6″W / 26.08306°N 98.13500°W / 26.08306; -98.13500
Area	2,088 acres (845 ha)
Established	1943
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website	Santa Ana National Wildlife Service

U.S. National Natural Landmark
Designated	1966

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is a 2,088-acre (8.45 km²) National Wildlife Refuge situated along the banks of the Rio Grande, south of Alamo in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, in Hidalgo County, South Texas.

The nature refuge was established for the protection of migratory birds in 1943. Its unique location is at the meeting of different climates and habitats: subtropical wetlands, Chihuahuan Desert, Gulf Coast, and Great Plains. Its riparian location has developed a reputation for diverse birding.

Fauna

Spanish moss in the refuge

Notable species include the Texas ocelot (Leopardus pardalis albescens) and Gulf Coast jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi cacomitli) feline species. These species, while not considered endangered by the IUCN, are rare for the area. Both species are listed as endangered in the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as Amended. The jaguarundi is listed as on CITES Appendix II, and the ocelot is listed in CITES Appendix I.

Birds

Common gallinule (middle) and blue-winged teal in the refuge

397 bird species have been documented within the parks borders. Many of those are migratory species on their way to and from Central and South America.

A few species to be found here are black-bellied and fulvous whistling duck, mottled duck, blue-winged, green-winged, and cinnamon teal, least grebe, anhinga, tricolored heron, American white ibis, lesser yellowlegs, long-billed dowitcher and least tern.

Osprey, broad-winged hawk, northern harrier and peregrine falcon are among the migratory birds of prey found in the park. Hook-billed kite and grey hawk, seen occasionally on the refuge, attract birders from around the world.

Over 35 species of spring New World warbler have been seen and include the golden-winged warbler, magnolia warbler, northern and tropical parula, American redstart, palm warbler and yellow-breasted chat.

Butterflies

Not to be outdone by its reputation as a birding paradise, Santa Ana is also home to almost half of all butterfly species found in the United States; over 300 species have been seen at the park. As many as 65 have been seen on a single day.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.

Protected areas of Texas

Federal

National Parks	Big Bend Guadalupe Mountains

National Monuments and Memorials	Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument Chamizal National Memorial Military Working Dog Teams National Monument Waco Mammoth National Monument

National Historical Parks and Historic Sites	Fort Davis NHS Lyndon B. Johnson NHP Palo Alto Battlefield NHP San Antonio Missions NHP

National Historic Trails	El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro

National Recreation Areas	Amistad Lake Meredith

National Wildlife Refuges	Anahuac Aransas Attwater Prairie Chicken Balcones Canyonlands Big Boggy Brazoria Buffalo Lake Caddo Lake Grulla Hagerman Laguna Atascosa Little Sandy Lower Rio Grande Valley McFaddin Muleshoe Neches River San Bernard Santa Ana Texas Point Trinity River

National Forests	Angelina Davy Crockett Sabine Sam Houston

National Grasslands	Caddo Lyndon B. Johnson McClellan Creek Rita Blanca

Other Protected Areas	Big Thicket National Preserve Padre Island National Seashore Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River

State

State Parks and Natural Areas	Abilene Albert and Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area Atlanta Balmorhea Barton Warnock Environmental Education Center Bastrop Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley Big Bend Ranch Big Spring Blanco Boca Chica Bonham Brazos Bend Buescher Caddo Lake Caprock Canyons Cedar Hill Chinati Mountains State Natural Area Choke Canyon Cleburne Colorado Bend Cooper Lake Copper Breaks Daingerfield Davis Hill Davis Mountains Devils River State Natural Area Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area Dinosaur Valley Eisenhower Enchanted Rock State Natural Area Estero Llano Grande Fairfield Lake Falcon Fort Boggy Fort Parker State Park Fort Richardson State Park Franklin Mountains Galveston Island Garner Goliad Goose Island Government Canyon State Natural Area Guadalupe River Hill Country State Natural Area Honey Creek State Natural Area Huntsville Indian Lodge Inks Lake Kickapoo Cavern Lake Arrowhead Lake Bob Sandlin Lake Brownwood Lake Casa Blanca International Lake Colorado City Lake Corpus Christi Lake Livingston Lake Mineral Wells Lake Somerville Lake Tawakoni Lake Texana Lake Whitney Lockhart Longhorn Cavern Lost Maples State Natural Area Martin Creek Lake Martin Dies Jr. Matagorda Island McKinney Falls Meridian Mission Tejas Monahans Sandhills Mother Neff State Park Mustang Island Old Tunnel Palmetto Palo Duro Canyon Palo Pinto Mountains Pedernales Falls Possum Kingdom Purtis Creek Ray Roberts Lake Resaca de la Palma San Angelo Sea Rim Sheldon Lake South Llano River Stephen F. Austin Tyler Village Creek Walter Umphrey Wyler Aerial Tramway

State Historic Sites	Acton Admiral Nimitz Barrington Living History Farm at Washington-on-the-Brazos Battleship TEXAS Caddoan Mounds Casa Navarro Confederate Reunion Grounds Eisenhower Birthplace Fanthorp Inn Fannin Battleground Fort Griffin Fort Lancaster Fort Leaton Fort McKavett Fort Richardson State Park Fulton Mansion Goliad Hueco Tanks Kreische Brewery Landmark Inn Levi Jordan Plantation Lipantitlan Lyndon B. Johnson Magoffin Homestead Mission Espiritu Santo Mission Rosario Monument Hill Penn Farm Point Isabel Lighthouse Sabine Pass Battleground Sam Bell Maxey House Samuel T. Rayburn House San Felipe San Jacinto Battleground Sauer-Beckmann Farm Seminole Canyon Starr Family Home Varner–Hogg Plantation Washington-on-the-Brazos Zaragoza Birthplace

State Forests and Arboretums	E.O. Siecke I.D. Fairchild John Henry Kirby Masterson W. Goodrich Jones Ruth Bowling Nichols Arboretum Olive Scott Petty Arboretum

State Wildlife Trails	Great Texas Coastal Heart of Texas Panhandle Plains Prairies and Pineywoods

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

National Wildlife Refuges of the United States

National Natural Landmarks in Texas

Attwater Prairie Chicken Preserve Bayside Resaca Area Catfish Creek Caverns of Sonora Devil's Sinkhole Dinosaur Valley State Park Ezell's Cave Enchanted Rock Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge Greenwood Canyon High Plains Natural Area Little Blanco River Bluff Longhorn Cavern Lost Maples State Natural Area Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge Odessa Meteor Crater Palo Duro Canyon State Park Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge Natural Bridge Caverns Cave Without a Name

List of National Natural Landmarks in Texas

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