When do Costa's hummingbirds arrive in New Mexico?
The Costa's Hummingbird is a summer breeder in New Mexico — here is when to expect it, when it leaves, and how to be ready.
Costa's Hummingbird timing in New Mexico
- Arrives
- Around January
- Leaves
- By June
- Status here
- Summer breeder
- Nesting season
- February–May
- Present roughly
- January–June
In New Mexico, Costa's hummingbirds are present through the warm months, arriving around January and heading south again by June.
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 Costa'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 January is the time to act. Have feeders cleaned, filled and out by early January — the first Costa's hummingbirds into New Mexico are scouting for reliable food, and a station that's ready early gets added to their route.
Once nesting begins around February, adults switch to protein-rich food for their young and visits to feeders become quick and purposeful. Expect the busiest activity at dawn.
What Costa's hummingbirds eat while they're here
- Nectar and gnats
Nests in late winter in the Sonoran Desert and leaves the hottest areas by midsummer.
Full Costa's Hummingbird diet guide → · Best feeder for Costa's hummingbirds →
Native plants that hold Costa'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 Costa'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 Costa's hummingbirds arrive in New Mexico?
Costa's hummingbirds typically arrive in New Mexico around January, with nesting underway by February. Timing can shift a week or two with the weather in any given year.
When do Costa's hummingbirds leave New Mexico?
Most Costa's hummingbirds have left New Mexico by June. They spend the winter farther south and return the following spring.
Do Costa's hummingbirds stay in New Mexico all year?
No — in New Mexico the Costa's Hummingbird is a summer breeder, present roughly January–June. Outside that window it is rarely seen in the state.
What should I put out before Costa's hummingbirds arrive in New Mexico?
Have feeders up and clean by early January — first arrivals scout reliable food sources. Good offerings for this species: nectar and gnats.
Sources
- Costa's Hummingbird — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Costa's Hummingbird life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Costa'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.