Texas · Year-round resident

Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in Texas

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

Woodpeckers (Picidae)Red-cockaded WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus borealis

Status in Texas: Year-round resident
Nesting window: March–June
Broods: 1 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 6b–10a
Range note: East Texas pine belt only.

When to expect red-cockaded woodpeckers in Texas

Red-cockaded Woodpeckers live in Texas all year — east Texas pine belt only. Hard freezes are brief outside the Panhandle, so most feeder birds face heat and drought stress more than cold. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them.

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.

Nesting in Texas

Across Texas, red-cockaded woodpeckers typically nest from March–June. Plan around that window: February for setup, June for clean-out.

Afternoon highs regularly exceed 95°F — nest boxes need shade or light-colored, ventilated construction, and water matters as much as food.

Red-cockaded Woodpeckers don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as live oak, flowering dogwood, eastern red cedar for nest sites.
Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after June.

Native Texas plants that attract red-cockaded woodpeckers

Of the regional native plants we track for Texas, these 8 provide food or cover red-cockaded woodpeckers use:

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.

White oak

Quercus alba · Tree

Acorns plus hundreds of caterpillar species for nestling food.

Bur oak

Quercus macrocarpa · Tree

Drought-hardy prairie oak with large acorns and a heavy insect load.

Black cherry

Prunus serotina · Tree

Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.

American elderberry

Sambucus canadensis · Shrub

Late-summer berry clusters taken by over 40 bird species.

Feeding red-cockaded woodpeckers through the Texas year

Top foods: Suet (occasionally, near longleaf pine).
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 red-cockaded woodpeckers · Best feeder for red-cockaded woodpeckers

Frequently asked

Are red-cockaded woodpeckers in Texas year-round?

Yes. Red-cockaded Woodpeckers are year-round residents in Texas. East Texas pine belt only.

When do red-cockaded woodpeckers nest in Texas?

Nesting in Texas typically runs March–June, with 1 per season. Clutches are 2–5 eggs, incubated for 10–13 days.

What native plants attract red-cockaded woodpeckers in Texas?

Live oak, Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, White oak, Bur oak, Black cherry, American elderberry are native plants in Texas that provide food or cover for red-cockaded woodpeckers.

Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in other regions

Alabama Arkansas Florida Georgia Louisiana Mississippi North Carolina Oklahoma South Carolina

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 Hermit Thrush 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 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.