December 4, 2023 – Bird lovers are flocking to Corpus Christi as a rare sighting of a bird known as the cattle tyrant has made it’s way much farther north than it’s normal habitat. The flycatcher bird is native to South America and never before been spotted in North America. Now a wayard example of the little yellow bird has taken up residence in a busy section of a street in Corpus Christi lined with restaurants. Tourists armed with binoculars and cameras now also occupy Shatzell Street hoping to get a glimpse of the out of place bird.
Bird watchers from all over have made the trek to Corpus Christi albeit a much shorter journey that the bird itself as the cattle tyrant has traveled close to 3,000 miles by crossing several borders to arrive at its perch in the parking garage near a sushi restaurant.
Theories of how the bird lost it’s way are as plentiful as the visitors who have traveled to see the bird. The little yellow bird is used to open marshlands and pastures in South America which don’t normally contain parking garages near busy restaurants. One theory is that a powerful storm blew the bird off course. Or another is that the bird hitched a ride on a ship through the Panama Canal. No one will ever know how the South American pasture bird came to light in downtown Corpus Christi, but bird watchers should chart their course to Corpus Christi if they would like to witness this rare sight before it disappears.
