Texas · Winter visitor

Hermit Thrushs in Texas

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

Thrushes (Turdidae)Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus

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

When to expect hermit thrushes in Texas

In Texas, hermit thrushes 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.

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 hermit thrushes

Of the regional native plants we track for Texas, these 8 provide food or cover hermit thrushes use:

Yaupon holly

Ilex vomitoria · Shrub

Evergreen cover plus red winter berries on female plants.

American beautyberry

Callicarpa americana · Shrub

Clusters of purple fruit from late summer into fall.

Coral honeysuckle

Lonicera sempervirens · Vine

Native tubular red flowers; not the invasive Japanese honeysuckle.

Live oak

Quercus virginiana · Tree

Acorns and a huge insect load for foraging and nestling food.

Flowering dogwood

Cornus florida · Tree

Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.

Eastern red cedar

Juniperus virginiana · Tree

Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea · Tree

Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.

Smooth sumac

Rhus glabra · Shrub

Red fruit heads hang on through winter.

Feeding hermit thrushes through the Texas year

Top foods: Raisins, Mealworms.
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 hermit thrushes · Best feeder for hermit thrushes

Frequently asked

Are hermit thrushes in Texas year-round?

No. Hermit Thrushs are winter visitors in Texas and do not typically nest there.

What native plants attract hermit thrushes in Texas?

Yaupon holly, American beautyberry, Coral honeysuckle, Live oak, Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, Smooth sumac are native plants in Texas that provide food or cover for hermit thrushes.

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 Anna's Hummingbird 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 American Crow Cooper's Hawk Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Barred Owl Great Horned Owl American Kestrel Wood Duck Wild Turkey Northern Bobwhite Mallard Great Blue Heron Belted Kingfisher Eastern Meadowlark Brown-headed Cowbird Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet Winter Wren Red Crossbill Field Sparrow Hooded Oriole Phainopepla Black-throated Sparrow Lark Sparrow Green-tailed Towhee Green Jay Western Screech-Owl Hooded Merganser Band-tailed Pigeon Yellow Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Black-and-white Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Ovenbird Yellow-breasted Chat Orange-crowned Warbler Palm Warbler Warbling Vireo White-eyed Vireo Eastern Wood-Pewee Western Kingbird Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Vermilion Flycatcher Great Kiskadee Ash-throated Flycatcher Cliff Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Bank Swallow Common Nighthawk Eastern Whip-poor-will Canada Goose American Coot Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper American Woodcock Green Heron Great Egret Black-crowned Night Heron Turkey Vulture Black Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Red-shouldered Hawk Merlin Peregrine Falcon Northern Saw-whet Owl Barn Owl Burrowing Owl Lewis's Woodpecker Red-cockaded Woodpecker Savannah Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Harris's Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Lapland Longspur Horned Lark Dickcissel Blue Grosbeak Varied Bunting Brown-headed Nuthatch Cactus Wren Greater Roadrunner Yellow-billed Cuckoo Yellow-headed Blackbird Brewer's Blackbird Rusty Blackbird Boat-tailed Grackle Great-tailed Grackle Rock Pigeon Monk Parakeet

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.