Texas · Winter visitor

Anna's Hummingbirds in Texas

When Anna's hummingbirds are present in Texas, when they nest, which native Texas plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 6b–10a yard.

Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)Anna's HummingbirdCalypte anna

Status in Texas: Winter visitor
Nesting window: Does not typically nest here
Hardiness zones: USDA 6b–10a

When to expect Anna's hummingbirds in Texas

In Texas, Anna's hummingbirds are winter visitors rather than breeders. Hard freezes are brief outside the Panhandle, so most feeder birds face heat and drought stress more than cold. While here they rely on winter-blooming manzanita and feeders.

Humid subtropical in the east and along the Gulf, semi-arid to arid in the west; long, hot summers and short, mild winters over most of the state.

Native Texas plants that attract Anna's hummingbirds

Of the regional native plants we track for Texas, these 8 provide food or cover Anna's hummingbirds use:

Coral honeysuckle

Lonicera sempervirens · Vine

Native tubular red flowers; not the invasive Japanese honeysuckle.

Trumpet creeper

Campsis radicans · Vine

Large orange trumpets through midsummer.

Cardinal flower

Lobelia cardinalis · Perennial

Scarlet late-summer spikes; a hummingbird magnet in moist soil.

Wild bergamot

Monarda fistulosa · Perennial

Tubular flowers for hummingbirds and seed heads for finches.

Coral bean

Erythrina herbacea · Shrub

Red tubular spring flowers for early hummingbirds.

Red buckeye

Aesculus pavia · Shrub

Blooms right as Ruby-throated Hummingbirds return.

Golden currant

Ribes aureum · Shrub

Early yellow flowers for hummingbirds, then summer fruit.

Rocky Mountain bee plant

Cleome serrulata · Perennial

Nectar-rich in summer, seed for finches in fall.

Feeding Anna's hummingbirds through the Texas year

Anna's stay year-round and nest in winter; in freezing weather, keep one feeder thawed.

Best foods: Sugar water: 1 part sugar to 4 parts water.
Avoid: Red dye, honey and artificial sweeteners.
In Texas's winter: Hard freezes are brief outside the Panhandle, so most feeder birds face heat and drought stress more than cold.

Full diet breakdown for Anna's hummingbirds · Best feeder for Anna's hummingbirds

Frequently asked

Are Anna's hummingbirds in Texas year-round?

No. Anna's Hummingbirds are winter visitors in Texas and do not typically nest there.

What native plants attract Anna's hummingbirds in Texas?

Coral honeysuckle, Trumpet creeper, Cardinal flower, Wild bergamot, Coral bean, Red buckeye, Golden currant, Rocky Mountain bee plant are native plants in Texas that provide food or cover for Anna's hummingbirds.

Anna's Hummingbirds in other regions

Arizona British Columbia California Nevada New Mexico Oregon Washington

Other backyard birds in Texas

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Carolina Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Carolina Wren Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Pine Siskin Indigo Bunting Painted Bunting Eastern Towhee Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird House Sparrow European Starling Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay Bushtit Juniper Titmouse Black-crested Titmouse Black-chinned Hummingbird Broad-tailed Hummingbird Lesser Goldfinch Spotted Towhee Canyon Towhee Gambel's Quail Western Bluebird Mountain Bluebird Say's Phoebe Black Phoebe Acorn Woodpecker Ladder-backed Woodpecker Cactus Wren Curve-billed Thrasher Verdin Pyrrhuloxia Bewick's Wren White-crowned Sparrow Fox Sparrow Bullock's Oriole Eurasian Collared-Dove White-winged Dove Inca Dove

Sources

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.