AUSTIN, Texas — Birdwatching soared in popularity during the pandemic, and according to a new survey by Lawn Love, Austin is the No. 9 city in the U.S. for the activity.
According to the research, more than 400 bird species have been spotted in Travis County, most notably the golden-cheeked warbler, which is an endangered species.
New York City took the No. 1 spot, and California had three cities in the top 10.
The only other Texas city in the top 10 was Houston, which came in at No. 3.
Last month, a bird species that hadn’t been seen in Galveston in four decades made a surprising return. The mangrove cuckoo made a very rare stop at the East End Lagoon Nature Park and Preserve on Galveston Island. The bird was spotted by a birder from Fort Worth who was competing in the Texas Birding Classic.
The survey compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on four categories, such as access and bird variety. It also factored in bird species, checklists indicating birding popularity and Audubon chapters, among its 14 total metrics.
You can see the full list on Lawn Love’s website.