Migrating hummingbirds will be back in Texas soon. Here’s how to feed, care for them

Spring is here, and soon that means our hummingbirds are back in Texas.

The most common species, namely the ruby-throated and black-chinned hummingbirds, arrive between mid-March and May. They breed from late March to early September, and depart from July to mid-November.

The ruby-throats travel 2,500 miles from Alaska to Mexico and fly nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico. Black-chins winter in Northeast and Western Mexico. Many hummingbirds stop in coastal Texas for a few weeks before heading to their winter homes in Mexico and Central America.

How to attract, feed hummingbirds in Texas

Having a hummingbird feeder allows you to watch the birds up close in your backyard. Most will feature artificial red flowers that tend to attract hummers. While having a backyard feeder will allow you to attract hummingbirds, proper care and maintenance of the feeder is necessary in order to prevent harming the birds.

• In the hummingbird feeder, you can use a sugar-water mixture that is one part sugar to four or five parts water.

• Change it every few days to keep it from fermenting and scrub the feeder to prevent mold.

• The general recommendation is to put up feeders by the Ides of March, March 15 up until two weeks after you’ve seen the last hummingbird.

• You can leave your feeder up all year if you’d like to attract winter species like the Rufous hummingbird, per TPWD.

• Aside from installing a feeder, you can attract a larger, more diverse group of hummingbirds by providing a garden full of brightly colored flowers, a water source and a few perching trees. Make sure the water is very shallow or has a dripper or mister attachment, TPWD recommends.

• Hummingbird flowers are typically bright orange or red and have very long trumpet-shaped flowers, very small or non-existent petals, little or no scent and hang down. However, hummingbirds will feed on any flower that has ample nectar.

• Plants that attract hummingbirds include: Turk’s cap, morning-glory, silver-leaf sunflower, coral vine, esperanza or yellow alder, trumpet vine, all honeysuckles, coral-bean, hibiscus, azalea, bee balm, bergamot, columbine, tiger lily, larkspur, nasturtium, scarlet sage, beauty bush, butterfly bush, weigela, cardinal flower, coral bells, foxglove, snapdragon, scarlet salvia, pea tree, mimosa tree and horse chestnut.

To record your Texas hummingbird sightings and observations, share your photos in the Birds of Texas iNaturalist Project or in eBird.