Texas · Winter visitor

Tree Swallows in Texas

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

Swallows (Hirundinidae)Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor

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

When to expect tree swallows in Texas

In Texas, tree swallows 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 bayberry and wax myrtle fruit.

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 tree swallows

Of the regional native plants we track for Texas, these 8 provide food or cover tree swallows 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.

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.

Arrowwood viburnum

Viburnum dentatum · Shrub

Blue-black fall fruit and dense nesting cover.

Feeding tree swallows through the Texas year

Tree swallows readily take bluebird-style nest boxes; mount boxes in pairs 15–25 ft apart to share with bluebirds.

Best foods: Crushed eggshells in spring.
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 tree swallows · Best feeder for tree swallows

Frequently asked

Are tree swallows in Texas year-round?

No. Tree Swallows are winter visitors in Texas and do not typically nest there.

What native plants attract tree swallows in Texas?

Live oak, Flowering dogwood, Serviceberry, White oak, Bur oak, Black cherry, American elderberry, Arrowwood viburnum are native plants in Texas that provide food or cover for tree swallows.

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 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

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.