Dickcissel (Spiza americana) - In the Cardinal family (Cardinalidae) and named for the male's incessant song, this handsome little bird breeds in weedy meadows and grassfields of the central plain states down to Texas and Louisiana. It winters in northern South America, where it gathers in huge flocks on agricultural lands. Two unfortunate consequences of this practice are it being perceived as a pest and its easy extermination. Its decline in this country is attributed to nest parasitism by cowbirds, habitat loss, and destruction of nests by mowing machines. The yellow breast and black bib mark this bird as a male, which was photographed at Anahuac NWR near the upper Texas coast on 6 May 2006.