Welcome
History and nature meet on scenic bluffs above the Rio Grande, where the World Birding Center in Roma can be found on the old plaza of a once-thriving steamboat port. Part of a national historic district, the WBC Roma Bluffs includes a riverside nature area of three acres: The gateway to unforgettable birding adventures across Starr County.

The Land
A narrow band of river woodland at Roma Bluffs hints at the vast acreage in ash, black willow and sugar hackberry found elsewhere on nearby government refuges north of the Rio Grande. Stands of thorny Texas Ebony dominate some tracts, while drier upland sites feature colorful mesquite-prickly pear brush. The river is a constant but changeable force, running shallow and clear, or rising several feet in time with releases from Falcon Dam about 20 miles upstream.

The Birds
River woodlands like those at WBC Roma Bluffs provide essential shelter for the kinds of neo-tropical birds found no where else in the United States but extreme south Texas. Starr County is especially known for the Red-billed Pigeon, Audubon’s Oriole, Brown Jay and White-collared Seedeater not seen farther downstream. Three kinds of Kingfishers find the Rio Grande attractive, and along with most “Valley specialties” like the Great Kiskadee and Plain Chachalaca, the area also is known as a great place to see Altamira Orioles and Clay-colored Robins in abundance.

Learn & Discover
The WBC Roma Bluffs is a great starting point for diverse activities such as walking tours through the National Historic District, to birding float trips along the Rio Grande operated by Friends of the Valley Wildlife Corridor. Information also is available on Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s “Project Wild” teacher workshops, and the annual Great Texas Birding Classic “Big Sit” competition.

What’s Here
The newly constructed Roma Bluffs Interpretive Overlook offers a magnificent view of the river, island and woodlands below, as well as views across the border to the Mexican town of Miguel Aleman. Down a brick stairway, a riverside trail leads upstream, and will eventually link to adjacent U.S. Fish and Wildlife preserves. In all, nearly 4,500 acres of nearby state and federal preserves offer excellent birding opportunities.