Corpus Christi is living up to its nickname as the birdiest city in America.
A rare bird native to South America has been spotted in downtown Corpus Christi and that has dozens of bird enthusiasts flocking to the area to try and catch a glimpse.
Turns out, a sight like this for the bird watching community is a big deal. It's also serious business for local tourism dollars.
This latest bird sighting is one that will contribute to the millions of dollars estimated to come in to the border and coastal communities every year in the state of Texas from birding tourism.
Joan Holt drove to Corpus Christi from Port Aransas and was armed with binoculars to view the Cattle Tyrant that was first spotted downtown on Sunday.
"This bird has never been seen in the U.S. before and here it is in downtown Corpus Christi," she said.
The bird is native to South America, but somehow, made its way to this part of South Texas. Local bird watchers said this might be the first time a bird like this has been seen north of Panama. Fellow bird watcher Liam Wolff also rushed to get a picture of the bird.
"Yesterday I was in West Texas, Alpine. I had just proposed to my girlfriend and we were coming back, I got the news, we had to see the bird," he said.
Now that the word is out, you can expect many more bird enthusiasts are on the way.
"The closest sightings of the birds are in Panama, so this is a really really lost bird. There's a lot of people in the U.S., this is their best opportunity to see this bird and so it's easier for them to come to Corpus Christi than to get a flight to Argentina or Brazil to see the bird," he said.
Bird watching tourism in Texas is said to bring in big bucks.
According to Visit Corpus Christi there are more than 200 species of birds to check out in the area. A guide can be found on their website.
Bird watchers Sandy Dillard and Joel Simon said they're seeing more rare birds in South Texas this season.
"If it stays around you could easily get 10,000 or more people coming to see this bird from all over the United States," Dillard said.
The rare bird has been spotted at La Retama Park and along Chaparral Street, even on an apartment patio. It later popped up at the corner of North Chaparral and Schatzel Street where it was spotted just hanging out and catching bugs near a dumpster.
"Even if it's still around there's the challenge of trying to find it as it is moving around, that presents a unique challenge of itself, birds don't stay still," Dillard said.
Meantime these bird watchers are proud to just get a chance to check another species off their list.
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