Eager birdwatchers recently rushed in droves to Wilson County, Texas, following an exceptionally rare sighting of a bird not seen in the state for more than six decades. The double-striped thick-knee, which is native to Central and South America, was spotted on September 14, 2025, on private land near the small town of Nixon. By the end of that day, more than 40 birders had shown up to catch a glimpse. The unusual-looking double-striped thick-knee, or thick-knee for short, is a medium-large wader, weighing a little over 27 ounces and measuring 18 to 20 inches in length when fully grown. Native to the Neotropics, thick-knees can be seen anywhere from Guyana, South America's only English-speaking country, to the province of Guanacaste in Costa Rica.