Migration calendar

Spring migration in Texas

Texas sits under the Central Flyway and at the end of the trans-Gulf route. Songbirds crossing the Gulf of Mexico overnight make landfall on the upper coast; when they meet a north wind or rain, they drop into the first woodland they reach in "fallouts."

Migration window: Early March to late May
Peak: Mid-April to early May on the upper Texas coast
Hardiness zones: USDA 6b–10a

Arrival timing

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Coast from early–mid March; peak passage in April

Purple Martin

Scouts from late January; main arrival February–March

Warblers, vireos, tanagers and orioles

Late March through mid-May, peaking in late April

Hotspots

High Island (Boy Scout Woods, Smith Oaks) — Houston Audubon sanctuaries; the classic fallout site.
Sabine Woods — Coastal woodlot near Sabine Pass.
South Padre Island Convention Centre — Lower-coast trap for warblers and orioles.

Prepare your yard

Put nectar feeders out by early March on the coast and mid-March inland.
Keep a shallow bird bath or dripper filled — tired trans-Gulf migrants seek water first.
Turn off non-essential outdoor lights at night during peak nights; Texas cities are among the most dangerous for nocturnal migrants.

Follow nightly migration intensity forecasts on BirdCast to time lights-out nights and feeder refills.

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

Frequently asked

When is spring bird migration in Texas?

Roughly early March through late May, with the heaviest songbird passage on the upper coast from mid-April to early May.

When should I put out hummingbird feeders in Texas?

By early March along the Gulf Coast and by mid-March in central and north Texas, before the first Ruby-throated Hummingbirds arrive.

What is a fallout?

A fallout happens when migrants crossing the Gulf hit adverse weather such as a north wind or rain and land en masse at the first coastal habitat.

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.