Santa Ana Refuge Sits Where Major Bird Routes Meet

Near Alamo on the south edge of Hidalgo County, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge is a small place with an outsized reputation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the refuge was established in 1943 to protect migratory birds.

Its location is the whole point. FWS says the refuge sits where two major migratory routes cross, one running east-west and the other north-south, which funnels an unusual variety of birds and butterflies into its 2,088 acres of South Texas habitat.

FWS calls it a jewel of the National Wildlife Refuge System, partly because it shelters plants and animals found almost nowhere else in the United States beyond deep South Texas. It explains why this corner of the county draws national wildlife attention.