Images of the bat falcon were taken by photographer Peter Witt and later confirmed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

The species has never been documented in the U.S. before. They live across much of the rest of the Americas with their range extending through the warmer tropical forests and coasts of Central and South America and the Caribbean.

Witt’s photos showed the bat falcon with its distinguishable orange, white and black plumage perched on a tree at the Santa Ana Bird Sanctuary in southern Texas. Witt had been visiting the sanctuary with his wife Joyce Nies on February 9.

“We knew it was the bat falcon when we spotted it since we had seen pictures taken by others and read about the bird online,” Witt told news website KSAT.com.

“We could see him fly off from a tree shag perch, skim the lake, grab an insect and return to chow down, then rest a bit and repeat. We watched him for about 20 minutes … a wonderful and unique experience.”

The FWS confirmed his photographs, which showed the falcon snacking on a dragonfly, were a first for wildlife in the U.S. Bat falcons typically grow up to 11 inches and weigh between 4.8 and 8.5 ounces. Rodents, insects and—as their name suggests—bats as well as smaller birds make up a large proportion of their diet.

“Everyone that can catch a glimpse is looking at this bat falcon right now,” the FWS said in a Facebook post. “This is the first recorded time that a bat falcon has ever been seen in the U.S.! This one is hanging around in South Texas at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. They usually live in Mexico and Central America.”

Bat falcons are considered a species of Least Concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which estimates there are between 500,000 and five million of the birds in the wild. However, the IUCN said that the number of bat falcons in the wild is thought to be decreasing amid habitat loss.

The Peregrine Fund conservation group said that the destruction of forests in Central and South America where bat falcons typically live threatens the birds by depriving them of prey. Pesticide use was also cited as a present danger to the species.

In a comment on Facebook, a FWS spokesperson said they do not know why the bird had come to the U.S., but said their range “definitely seems to be expanding.”