When do Anna's hummingbirds arrive in New Mexico?
The Anna's Hummingbird is a winter visitor in New Mexico — here is when to expect it, when it leaves, and how to be ready.
Anna's Hummingbird timing in New Mexico
- Arrives
- Around October
- Leaves
- By March
- Status here
- Winter visitor
- Present roughly
- October–March
In New Mexico, Anna's hummingbirds are a cold-season bird, arriving around October and heading back north to breed by March.
These windows are set by latitude: New Mexico sits in the middle part of this species' range, so timing here tracks the continental average closely. In any given year, weather can move the first arrivals by a week or two either way.
Month by month in this state
Highlighted months are when Anna's hummingbirds are expected in New Mexico. The edges of the window are the interesting weeks — first arrivals and last departures vary most from year to year.
Getting ready before they arrive
The week before October is the time to act. Have feeders cleaned, filled and out by early October — the first Anna's hummingbirds into New Mexico are scouting for reliable food, and a station that's ready early gets added to their route.
Through the winter, consistent food matters more than variety — birds map dependable stations into their daily routes and rely on them hardest during cold snaps.
What Anna's hummingbirds eat while they're here
- Winter-blooming manzanita and feeders
Anna's stay year-round and nest in winter; in freezing weather, keep one feeder thawed.
Full Anna's Hummingbird diet guide → · Best feeder for Anna's hummingbirds →
Native plants that hold Anna's hummingbirds in New Mexico
Food keeps a migrant for a day; habitat keeps it for the season. These New Mexico-native plants are known to attract Anna's hummingbirds:
Scarlet late-summer spikes; a hummingbird magnet in moist soil.
Tubular flowers for hummingbirds and seed heads for finches.
Early yellow flowers for hummingbirds, then summer fruit.
Nectar-rich in summer, seed for finches in fall.
Red trumpets for Broad-tailed and Rufous hummingbirds.
Blue-violet spikes favored by Broad-tailed Hummingbirds.
Orchid-like flowers through summer for hummingbirds and orioles.
Red spring flower spikes timed to hummingbird and oriole migration.
Keep exploring
Frequently asked
When do Anna's hummingbirds arrive in New Mexico?
Anna's hummingbirds typically arrive in New Mexico around October. Timing can shift a week or two with the weather in any given year.
When do Anna's hummingbirds leave New Mexico?
Most Anna's hummingbirds have left New Mexico by March. They spend the breeding season farther north and return in the fall.
Do Anna's hummingbirds stay in New Mexico all year?
No — in New Mexico the Anna's Hummingbird is a winter visitor, present roughly October–March. Outside that window it is rarely seen in the state.
What should I put out before Anna's hummingbirds arrive in New Mexico?
Have feeders up and clean by early October — first arrivals scout reliable food sources. Good offerings for this species: nectar and gnats.
Sources
- Anna's Hummingbird — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Anna's Hummingbird life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Anna's Hummingbird — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
- eBird region overview and bar charts — New Mexico
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023)
- Audubon Native Plants Database
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.