Rio Grande field station / Texas nonprofit

Birds, rivers, and the people who study them

The Center for the Study of Tropical Birds is a Texas nonprofit that supports field research and education across the New World tropics. Its home base sits on the Rio Grande at Salineno, where birders and researchers share a small patch of river forest.

Explore the programs Visit the field station

A screen print style river scene with low hills, reeds, and birds in flight — The Rio Grande at Salineno, where the Center has kept a field station and birding area.

Incorporated: 1987, Texas
Status: 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit
Field base: Salineno, Starr County

A long record, kept close to the river

A small center with a wide field of view

The Center was incorporated in 1987 and has worked for decades on the birds of the New World tropics. Its record includes field studies, small grants, workshop proceedings, and educational materials made for schools and communities.

The work has never been confined to one place. The Center has supported projects in Texas, Mexico, Trinidad, and Colombia, often through local researchers and partner organizations. The common thread is a focus on birds whose lives are tied to tropical forests, rivers, and coastal lowlands.

Read the Center's story

Where the work happens

Four places, one field of study

The Center's public record follows birds across borders and habitats. Each place below has its own page, with the questions, partners, and methods that shaped the work.

01

Salineno, Texas

A field station and birding area on the Rio Grande, developed with the Valley Land Fund.

The river station

02

Tamaulipas, Mexico

Singing Quail censuses, palm cultivation, and a community festival for parrots.

The Mexico program

03

Trinidad

Work on the release of captive bred Red Siskins into island habitat.

The Red Siskin project

04

Pacific Colombia

Surveys for the Tumaco Seedeater in coastal and mangrove country.

The Colombia surveys

What the record holds

Birds that are easy to overlook

Quail of the tropics

Singing Quail in Mexico, Black throated Bobwhite in Belize, and Montezuma Quail in Texas. The Center has supported surveys, action planning, and a printed proceedings volume.

Quail program notes

Riparian birds of the border

Red billed Pigeons, White tipped Doves, Brown Jays, and Muscovy Ducks have all been part of the station's research and feeding records.

Station research notes

Forest birds under pressure

Parrots, seedeaters, and mountain forest species appear throughout the Center's grants, posters, and field reports.

Project record

Salineno birding area

A winter stop on the river

For years, hosts at the Salineno site have kept feeders going through the winter for visiting birders. The area is known for Muscovy Ducks, Brown Jays, and Red billed Pigeons. There is no fee to visit, though donations are appreciated.

Ask about a visit Field station details

Season Winter feeders and birding
Access Contact the Center before traveling
Cost No fee, donations welcome
Birds Muscovy Duck, Brown Jay, Red billed Pigeon

Support the record

Small grants, long ripples

Donations help the Center keep its field records, support small research projects, and prepare educational materials. The Center is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation, so contributions may be tax deductible under United States law.

How support has helped About the small grants