A bat falcon has been spotted for the first time in the U.S., the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.
The bird was observed in December at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in South Texas. The Fish and Wildlife Service shared photos of it on its Facebook page just this week.
“Everyone that can catch a glimpse is looking at this bat falcon right now,” the agency said in its post Tuesday. “This is the first recorded time that a bat falcon has ever been seen in the U.S.!”
The bird, which usually weighs 4.8 to 8.5 ounces, typically breeds in Mexico, as well as Central and South America, according to the refuge.
The one observed there is thought to be a juvenile because of its “buff-(cinnamon) throat and (chest) bars,” the refuge said in its own Facebook post from December.
“Judging by the thickness of the tarsus and beak,” it appears to be a male, the refuge added.
