Summer Resident

Photo by Bill Ravenscroft

This species arrives in our area in the spring and sticks with us through the summer. The Dickcissel like the fields of our Central Texas because of the grasslands interspersed with Juniper and Mesquites.

Dickcissel males like to find a lofty perch to sing. Listen for the “dick, dick, ciss, ciss, ciss” and start looking for a male on the top of small juniper or a fence post. Hardly ever will you see a female Dickcissel which looks more like a House Sparrow. Yet, the males have often been characterized as small meadowlark mimics. Look for a chestnut shoulder, brown back, yellow chest, and a black bib.