34 Winter Birds in Texas

Winter in most of Texas is less a season and more a rumor: a cold front blows through, everyone panics about the pipes, and by Thursday it's shorts weather again (I grew up in New England, so please read that sentence in a jealous voice). That's exactly what makes Texas winter birds so good. The story here isn't who's toughing it out. It's who's flying in.

And a lot of birds fly in. Cranes drop onto the Panhandle's playa lakes and the coastal marshes, ducks pile onto the Laguna Madre, hawks line the farm-road power lines, and sparrows, kinglets, and Yellow-rumped Warblers fill the brush from the Piney Woods to the Hill Country. The state bird, meanwhile, never leaves. Texas made the Northern Mockingbird its official state bird in 1927, and the resolution itself noted the bird is found here "in winter and in summer," so you'll see it all season long.

Types of Texas Birds in Winter

There are 3 types of winter birds in Texas on this list:

Resident Texas Birds – species that live here year-round, like cardinals, mockingbirds, Carolina Chickadees, and Texas specialties such as the Golden-fronted Woodpecker and Green Jay. Many get a boost in winter from northern birds of the same species moving in
Winter Migrants / Visitors – birds that breed farther north and spend the cold months in Texas. This is the big group: cranes, geese, ducks, pelicans, raptors, sparrows, kinglets, and warblers. Many of the best spots are refuges, like Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, the wintering home of the last wild flock of Whooping Cranes
Irruptive Species – finches like Pine Siskins and Purple Finches that show up in East and North Texas in big numbers some winters and barely at all in others, depending on seed crops up north. They aren't regular enough to make the list, but keep an eye on your nyjer feeder

Texas is big enough that "where" matters as much as "what," so each entry covers ID, male vs female, calls, where to find the bird in Texas, and its feeder favorites if it visits feeders. If you've ever wondered how a sparrow from Saskatchewan ends up under your feeder in Waco, here's where birds go in the winter.

1. Northern Mockingbird

Family – Mimidae
Species – Mimus polyglottos
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Texas State Bird (Resident Texas Bird)

The Northern Mockingbird is the state bird for a reason: it's everywhere, it's loud, and it has opinions. In winter it switches from a mostly insect diet to fruit, and that's when it gets territorial about food. A mockingbird will claim a holly, yaupon, or pyracantha bush and chase off robins, waxwings, and anyone else who looks at the berries.

It's a slim gray bird with a long tail and big white wing patches that flash when it flies or does its odd wing-lifting display on the lawn. Males and females look the same.

The Northern Mockingbird song is a long playlist of borrowed phrases, each repeated a few times before it switches tracks, mixing imitations of other birds with its own notes. Males do most of the singing, and in winter you'll hear a lot of harsh tchak calls aimed at rivals.

In Texas winters, mockingbirds are found statewide, in neighborhoods, parks, ranchland, and roadside brush. If you have a berry bush in your yard, you probably already know your local one personally.

Feeder favorites: suet, chopped fruit, raisins

2. Northern Cardinal

Family – Cardinalidae
Species – Cardinalis cardinalis
Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk
Diurnal
Resident Texas Bird

The Northern Cardinal was the most widespread bird in Project FeederWatch's South Central rankings, seen at about 94% of counting sites in a region that includes Texas. It's a seed eater with a thick, orange-red bill made for cracking sunflower hulls.

Males are bright red with a black mask around the bill. Females are warm tan with red edging on the crest, wings, and tail, plus the same bright bill. Both wear the crest, and both look like they've just been told something mildly offensive.

The Northern Cardinal song is a loud whistled cheer-cheer-cheer or birdie-birdie-birdie, and females sing too. The call is a sharp, metallic chip.

Cardinals are found across most of Texas in thickets, yards, and woodland edges. In the dry southwest you might also meet its desert cousin, the Pyrrhuloxia, which looks like a cardinal that's been left out in the sun. For more on keeping them around, see Cardinals in Winter: Where They Go, What They Eat, and How to Attract Them.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, safflower, cracked corn on a platform

3. Carolina Chickadee

Family – Paridae
Species – Poecile carolinensis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Texas Bird

The Carolina Chickadee is the chickadee of eastern and central Texas, and it's the ringleader of winter mixed flocks. Follow one for a minute and you'll often turn up titmice, kinglets, warblers, and a woodpecker or two traveling behind it.

It's tiny and gray with a black cap, black bib, and white cheeks. Males and females look the same.

The Carolina Chickadee call is a quick, buzzy chick-a-dee-dee-dee, and its song is a four-note whistle, fee-bee fee-bay.

In Texas winters, it's common in woods, parks, and leafy neighborhoods across roughly the eastern two-thirds of the state, including the Hill Country. Chickadees grab one seed, fly off to eat or hide it, and come right back, so one bird can look like five.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, shelled peanuts

4. Black-crested Titmouse

Family – Paridae
Species – Baeolophus atricristatus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Texas Bird

The Black-crested Titmouse is a true Texas bird. Its range is mostly central, south, and west Texas, plus northeastern Mexico, so if you live in San Antonio or Austin, this is your titmouse. East Texas gets the Tufted Titmouse instead, and where the two ranges meet in central Texas, they interbreed and produce some confusing in-between birds.

It's soft gray above and pale below with peachy flanks and a pointed black crest over a pale forehead. Males and females look alike, though young birds have a grayer crest that can make them look like Tufted Titmice.

The Black-crested Titmouse song is a whistled peter-peter-peter, very much like the Tufted's, and it scolds with a raspy, chickadee-like chatter.

In Texas winters, look for it in oak and juniper woods, mesquite brush, and wooded yards from the Hill Country to the Rio Grande. It joins chickadee flocks and is bold at feeders.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet

5. Carolina Wren

Family – Troglodytidae
Species – Thryothorus ludovicianus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Texas Bird

The Carolina Wren is a small bird with a ridiculously big voice. It pokes through brush piles, porches, and garages for insects and spiders, and in winter it'll come to suet. Its ranking near the top ten in the FeederWatch South Central list surprises people who've only ever heard it.

It's rich cinnamon-brown above and buffy below, with a bold white eyebrow and a tail it often cocks upward. Males and females look the same.

The Carolina Wren song is a loud, rolling teakettle-teakettle-teakettle, and it sings year-round, even on chilly mornings. Pairs also chatter and scold at each other like they've been married for forty years.

In Texas winters, Carolina Wrens are common in the eastern half of the state and into central Texas, in thickets, wooded yards, and creek bottoms. Farther west, the similar Bewick's Wren takes over.

Feeder favorites: suet, mealworms, peanut pieces

6. Mourning Dove

Family – Columbidae
Species – Zenaida macroura
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Winter Migrant

The Mourning Dove is a statewide resident, and northern doves move in for winter too, so flocks around farms and feeders can get big. It eats almost entirely seeds, scooping them up fast and storing them in its crop to digest later on a quiet wire. (I respect a bird that eats first and thinks later.)

It's a slender, buffy gray-brown dove with black spots on the wings and a long, pointed tail edged in white. Males have a bluish crown and a pinkish wash on the breast, while females are slightly browner and plainer.

The Mourning Dove call is a soft, sad coo-OO-oo-oo-oo, often mistaken for an owl. Its wings whistle when it takes off.

In Texas winters, you'll find Mourning Doves everywhere: fields, ranches, suburbs, and city parks.

Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, black oil sunflower on a platform or the ground

7. White-winged Dove

Family – Columbidae
Species – Zenaida asiatica
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Texas Bird

The White-winged Dove used to be mostly a South Texas bird, but it has spread into cities across the state, and it now shows up at about two-thirds of FeederWatch sites in the South Central region. If your neighborhood sounds like an owl convention at dawn, this is probably why.

It's a stocky, sandy-brown dove with a bold white stripe along the edge of the folded wing, which becomes a big white flash in flight. It has a red eye ringed with blue skin. Males and females look alike.

The White-winged Dove call is a hooting coo often written as who-cooks-for-you, which is also how the Barred Owl is described, so expect some confusion.

In Texas winters, look for it in towns and cities like San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and the Rio Grande Valley, often in groups on wires and rooftops. Some birds move south for winter, but plenty of city doves stay.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, millet, cracked corn

8. House Finch

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Haemorhous mexicanus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Texas Bird

The House Finch is a small seed eater that tied for fourth in the South Central FeederWatch rankings. It's native to the West, so in West Texas it's an old-timer, and it's become common across the rest of the state too.

Males have a red to orange-red head, breast, and rump, with blurry brown streaks on the belly. Females are plain gray-brown with soft streaking and no strong face pattern.

The House Finch song is a long, jumbled warble that often ends on a rising, buzzy note. The call is a cheerful cheep.

In Texas winters, House Finches are in towns, farms, and desert scrub statewide, usually in small flocks at feeders.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, nyjer

9. Blue Jay

Family – Corvidae
Species – Cyanocitta cristata
Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk
Diurnal
Resident Texas Bird

The Blue Jay is loud, smart, and always the first to spot a hawk. It eats acorns, seeds, insects, and the occasional egg, and it hides acorns for later, which is how a lot of oaks get planted.

It's bright blue above with white and black barring on the wings and tail, a black necklace, and a pale belly. Males and females look the same.

The Blue Jay call is a harsh jeer, but it also makes soft whistles, clicks, and a very good Red-shouldered Hawk impression.

In Texas winters, Blue Jays are common in the eastern and central parts of the state, in oak woods, neighborhoods, and parks. They get scarce as you head west.

Feeder favorites: peanuts, black oil sunflower, suet

10. Green Jay

Family – Corvidae
Species – Cyanocorax yncas
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Texas Bird (South Texas only)

The Green Jay is the bird that convinces Northern birders to book a flight to McAllen. In the U.S., it lives only in South Texas, and it looks like someone designed it for a tropical-themed screensaver.

It's bright green on the back and wings, pale yellow-green below, with a blue-and-black head and yellow outer tail feathers. Males and females look alike.

The Green Jay call is a varied mix of rattles, scolds, and dry cheh-cheh-cheh notes, plus some metallic clicks. Like its blue cousin, it's rarely quiet for long.

In Texas winters, look for it in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and the brushy country just north of it. Parks with feeding stations, like Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, are reliable spots.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, orange halves

11. Red-bellied Woodpecker

Family – Picidae
Species – Melanerpes carolinus
Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk
Diurnal
Resident Texas Bird

The Red-bellied Woodpecker is one of the most misnamed birds in Texas, since the red belly is a faint pinkish wash you'll only see if it poses just right. It eats insects, acorns, nuts, and fruit, and it hides food in bark cracks for later.

It's pale gray-tan below with a black-and-white "ladder" pattern on the back. Males have red from the bill all the way over the crown to the nape. Females have red only on the nape and above the bill, with a gray crown in between.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker call is a rolling kwirr or churr, plus a chattering chiv-chiv.

In Texas winters, it's common in the eastern half of the state and into central Texas, in woods, river bottoms, and older neighborhoods.

Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower

12. Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Family – Picidae
Species – Melanerpes aurifrons
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Texas Bird

The Golden-fronted Woodpecker is the Red-bellied Woodpecker's Texas counterpart, and Texas is the only U.S. state where it's common. It eats insects, acorns, fruit, and berries, and it's a regular at Hill Country and South Texas feeders.

It has the same black-and-white ladder back, but with a golden-yellow nape and a yellow patch just above the bill. Males have a small red patch on the crown. Females don't. In flight, both show a clean white rump.

The Golden-fronted Woodpecker call is a loud, rolling churr, similar to the Red-bellied's, plus rattles and a sharp kek.

In Texas winters, look for it in mesquite brush, oak savannas, and towns across central, south, and west-central Texas. Where its range meets the Red-bellied Woodpecker's, check the nape color before you log it.

Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, chopped fruit

13. Downy Woodpecker

Family – Picidae
Species – Dryobates pubescens
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Texas Bird

The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in Texas, light enough to forage on weed stems and twigs where bigger woodpeckers would snap the branch. It eats insects and larvae and comes to suet in winter.

It's black and white with a white stripe down the back and a short, stubby bill. Males have a small red patch on the back of the head, while females don't.

The Downy Woodpecker call is a soft pik and a whinny that runs downhill in pitch.

In Texas winters, it's found in woods, parks, and yards in the eastern and central parts of the state. In the drier south and west, the Ladder-backed Woodpecker, with its barred back, is the small woodpecker you're more likely to see.

Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower

14. Great-tailed Grackle

Family – Icteridae
Species – Quiscalus mexicanus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Texas Bird

The Great-tailed Grackle is the unofficial bird of every grocery store parking lot in Texas. It eats just about anything, from insects and grain to dropped French fries, and in winter it gathers in huge, noisy roosts in city trees.

Males are glossy blue-black with purple sheen and a long, V-shaped tail that they hold like a boat's keel. Females are much smaller and brown, with a shorter tail. Adults of both sexes have pale yellow eyes.

The Great-tailed Grackle call is a wild mix of whistles, clacks, and sounds like a car alarm losing an argument with a modem.

In Texas winters, it's everywhere people are: towns, farms, beaches, and every shopping center from El Paso to Beaumont.

15. Red-winged Blackbird

Family – Icteridae
Species – Agelaius phoeniceus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Winter Migrant

The Red-winged Blackbird nests in Texas marshes, but winter is when the numbers explode, with northern birds joining huge mixed flocks that feed in farm fields and roost in reeds.

Males are glossy black with red shoulder patches edged in yellow. Females look like a different species: streaky brown, a bit like a big sparrow, with a pale eyebrow.

The Red-winged Blackbird song is a gurgling conk-la-ree, and the call is a sharp check.

In Texas winters, look for flocks over rice fields, pastures, and marshes, especially along the coast and in farm country. They'll also mob feeders that have ground seed.

Feeder favorites: cracked corn, millet, sunflower seed

16. American Goldfinch

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Spinus tristis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The American Goldfinch is mostly a winter visitor in Texas, and it's a popular one, tied for fourth in the South Central FeederWatch rankings. It eats seeds almost exclusively, especially thistle and sunflower.

Winter goldfinches are much duller than the lemon-yellow birds you see in summer pictures. Males are olive-brown with a yellowish face and black wings with white bars. Females are grayer and plainer. (It's basically the goldfinch's sweatpants season.)

The American Goldfinch call is a bouncy po-ta-to-chip given in its roller-coaster flight, plus a rising sweeee.

In Texas winters, goldfinches show up statewide in weedy fields, edges, and backyards, often in flocks that empty a tube feeder in an afternoon.

Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips

17. Dark-eyed Junco

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Junco hyemalis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Dark-eyed Junco is a winter visitor that hops around under feeders picking up what messier birds drop. It showed up at about 61% of FeederWatch sites in the South Central region, but it's much more common in North and West Texas than along the coast or in the Valley.

Most Texas juncos are the "slate-colored" type: dark gray above, white belly, pale pink bill. Males are darker and crisper, while females are a softer gray with brownish tones. In the Panhandle and Trans-Pecos, you'll also find western types with brown backs or gray heads. All of them flash white outer tail feathers when they fly.

The Dark-eyed Junco call is a sharp tick or smack, and the song is a quick, even trill.

In Texas winters, look for small flocks in yards, woodland edges, and brushy fields, mostly in the northern and western parts of the state.

Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips scattered on the ground

18. Yellow-rumped Warbler

Family – Parulidae
Species – Setophaga coronata
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Yellow-rumped Warbler is the warbler of a Texas winter. Most warblers head to the tropics, but this one can digest waxy berries like wax myrtle and bayberry, so it can stay farther north. It also catches insects and visits suet. It made the South Central FeederWatch top 20, which is not something most warblers can say.

In winter it's a modest gray-brown bird with streaks, a yellow rump patch, and small yellow patches on the sides. Males are a little brighter and grayer, and females are browner, but in winter they're hard to tell apart. Eastern "Myrtle" birds have a white throat, while western "Audubon's" birds have a yellow throat.

The Yellow-rumped Warbler call is a sharp check, which you'll hear constantly from trees in winter.

In Texas winters, it's common statewide, especially along the coast. Birders call them "butter butts," which is both affectionate and accurate.

Feeder favorites: suet, mealworms, chopped fruit

19. Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Family – Regulidae
Species – Corthylio calendula
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a tiny bird that runs on espresso. It hunts tiny insects and spiders on twigs and leaves and almost never sits still, flicking its wings constantly.

It's olive-green with a broken white eye ring and a white wing bar beside a dark bar. Males have a red crown patch that's usually hidden and only flares up when they're excited or annoyed. Females have no red.

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet call is a dry, husky ji-dit. In late winter, males may start practicing their surprisingly loud, rollicking song before heading north.

In Texas winters, kinglets are common statewide in woods, parks, and yard trees, often traveling with chickadee and titmouse flocks.

Feeder favorites: suet, mealworms (rarely, but it happens)

20. Chipping Sparrow

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Spizella passerina
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Chipping Sparrow spends winter across much of Texas in loose flocks that feed on the ground in grassy yards, parks, and pastures. More than half of South Central FeederWatch sites reported it.

In winter, it trades its bright rusty cap for a brownish, streaky one, but it keeps a dark line through the eye and a clean gray breast. Males and females look alike.

The Chipping Sparrow call is a thin tsip, and the song (you may hear it by late winter) is a dry, rapid trill.

In Texas winters, look for flocks under feeders and in open areas with scattered trees statewide. A Texas yard with live oaks and a lawn is a sparrow buffet.

Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn on the ground

21. White-crowned Sparrow

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Zonotrichia leucophrys
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The White-crowned Sparrow is a sharp-looking winter visitor that feeds on seeds on the ground near brushy cover.

Adults have bold black-and-white crown stripes, a gray face and breast, and a pinkish or orange bill. Young birds have brown-and-tan crown stripes instead, so a flock can look like it has a dress-code problem. Males and females look the same.

The White-crowned Sparrow call is a sharp pink, and the song is a series of clear whistles followed by buzzy notes.

In Texas winters, look for it in brushy fields, fencerows, and yards, especially in central and West Texas and the Panhandle.

Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips scattered on the ground

22. White-throated Sparrow

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Zonotrichia albicollis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The White-throated Sparrow is a winter visitor to the eastern half of Texas, and it's easiest to find by listening for leaves being kicked around under shrubs. It scratches through leaf litter for seeds and insects.

It has a bright white throat and a yellow spot between the eye and the bill. Some birds have white crown stripes and others have tan ones. These are two different color forms, not males and females, and both sexes come in both versions.

The White-throated Sparrow song is a clear whistle often described as Old-Sam-Peabody-Peabody, and you'll hear it on mild winter days. The call is a sharp chink.

In Texas winters, it's most common in the Piney Woods and the eastern half of the state, in thickets, woodland edges, and shady yards. It gets scarcer as you head west.

Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips on the ground

23. Harris's Sparrow

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Zonotrichia querula
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor (uncommon, north-central Texas)

The Harris's Sparrow is a big, handsome sparrow with a very short list of winter addresses, and north-central Texas is one of them. It breeds only in northern Canada, so if you see one, you're looking at a bird that commuted a very long way to eat seeds in your hedgerow.

It's our largest sparrow, with a pink bill, a black face and bib, and a brown back. Winter adults have a buffy face, and first-winter birds have less black, mostly on the throat and breast. Males and females look alike.

The Harris's Sparrow call is a sharp chink, and the song is a set of clear, quavering whistles.

In Texas winters, look for it in brushy edges, hedgerows, and weedy fields in north-central Texas, often mixed in with White-crowned Sparrows. It gets scarce as you go south and east.

Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips on the ground

24. American Robin

Family – Turdidae
Species – Turdus migratorius
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Winter Migrant

The American Robin nests in parts of Texas, but winter brings big nomadic flocks from the north that roam the state in search of berries. Robins showed up at about 62% of South Central FeederWatch sites, which tells you how many of them visit.

They're dark gray above with a warm orange breast. Males tend to have a darker, almost black head and richer orange, while females are paler overall.

The American Robin call in winter is mostly a low tut-tut and a thin, high flight note. You probably won't hear the full cheerily-cheer-up song until spring.

In Texas winters, look for robin flocks in yaupon, hackberry, juniper, and other fruiting trees, plus on lawns after rain. They rarely eat seed, so a berry bush beats a feeder.

Feeder favorites: chopped fruit, softened raisins, mealworms

25. Cedar Waxwing

Family – Bombycillidae
Species – Bombycilla cedrorum
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Cedar Waxwing is a winter wanderer that travels in tight flocks looking for fruit. One day your yaupon is full of them, the next day they've stripped it and left, like a very polite bachelorette party.

It's silky tan-brown with a black mask, a pale yellow belly, a yellow tip on the tail, and red waxy tips on some wing feathers. Males and females look nearly the same, though males usually have a blacker chin.

The Cedar Waxwing call is a high, thin sree that's easy to miss if you're not listening for it.

In Texas winters, waxwings can turn up anywhere in the state with fruiting trees, from city parks to ranch creeks, and they're often found with robins. More than 40% of South Central FeederWatch sites reported them.

Feeder favorites: chopped fruit, but mostly a fruiting tree or shrub

26. Sandhill Crane

Family – Gruidae
Species – Antigone canadensis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Sandhill Crane is one of the great sights of a Texas winter. Flocks of these tall gray birds arrive in fall and spend the season feeding in fields and roosting in shallow water, then fly off in early spring. Some of the cranes that winter in Texas come from as far away as Siberia.

It's a tall, long-legged gray crane with a red forehead patch and white cheeks. Many birds look rusty-brown because they preen iron-rich mud into their feathers. Males and females look alike, and young birds lack the red cap.

The Sandhill Crane call is a rolling, rattling bugle that carries for miles. You'll often hear a flock long before you see it.

In Texas winters, the biggest gatherings are in the Panhandle and South Plains, where Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge offers winter roosting habitat on its lakes, and along the coastal prairies, where they mix with geese in farm fields.

27. Whooping Crane

Family – Gruidae
Species – Grus americana
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor (rare and endangered, central Texas coast)

The Whooping Crane is the tallest bird in North America, and the whole wild migratory flock spends winter on the Texas coast. It's also one of conservation's best comebacks: the flock was down to 18 birds in the late 1930s, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service counted 536 Whooping Cranes in its survey area in winter 2022 to 2023. That's still a tiny number for a whole species, which is exactly why the birds' needs come before anyone's photo. Watch from the towers and boats, keep your distance, and let them eat in peace.

Adults are nearly 5 feet tall and snow white with black wingtips that show only in flight, plus a red crown and black "mustache." Males and females look alike. Young birds have rusty-cinnamon patches.

The Whooping Crane call is a loud, trumpeting bugle, often given by pairs in unison.

In Texas winters, they're found in the salt marshes around Aransas National Wildlife Refuge near Rockport, where they're present from about November through March, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife. They eat blue crabs, clams, and other marsh food.

28. Snow Goose

Family – Anatidae
Species – Anser caerulescens
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Snow Goose arrives from the Arctic in huge numbers, and on the coastal prairie a field full of them can look like it snowed in Texas for once.

Adults are white with black wingtips and a pink bill with a black "grin" patch. A dark form, called the "Blue Goose," has a white head and a gray-brown body. Males and females look alike, and young birds are grayish. Look closely in big flocks for the smaller Ross's Goose, which has a stubbier bill and no grin.

The Snow Goose call is a high, nasal honk, and a big flock sounds like a stadium.

In Texas winters, look for flocks on the rice prairies and coastal marshes of the upper coast, including the Katy Prairie and refuges near Freeport and Anahuac, and on Panhandle playas and wheat fields.

29. Redhead

Family – Anatidae
Species – Aythya americana
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Redhead is a diving duck, and Texas is its winter capital. Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge estimates that 80% of the North American Redhead population winters in its area, feeding on shoalgrass in the shallow, salty Laguna Madre.

Males have a rounded rusty-red head, a black breast, a gray body, and a blue-gray bill with a black tip. Females are plain brown with a paler face and a similar bluish bill.

The Redhead call is usually quiet in winter, but courting males give an odd, catlike meow, which is not what you expect to hear from a duck.

In Texas winters, the Lower Laguna Madre near Port Isabel and Laguna Atascosa is the place to see big rafts of them. Smaller numbers show up on lakes and reservoirs inland.

30. American White Pelican

Family – Pelecanidae
Species – Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The American White Pelican is one of the biggest birds in North America, with a wingspan around 9 feet. Unlike Brown Pelicans, it doesn't plunge-dive. Groups swim together and herd fish into the shallows, then scoop them up.

It's bright white with black flight feathers that show in flight, plus a huge orange-yellow bill and pouch. Males and females look alike, though males are larger.

The American White Pelican call is basically nonexistent. They're mostly silent away from their nesting colonies, which is a refreshing change from the grackles.

In Texas winters, look for flocks on coastal bays and on big inland lakes and reservoirs, often soaring in slow, perfect circles.

31. Red-tailed Hawk

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Buteo jamaicensis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Winter Migrant

The Red-tailed Hawk is the hawk you'll see on fence posts and power poles along every Texas highway, and winter adds plenty more from the north. It hunts rodents and rabbits from a high perch.

Adults have a brick-red tail, a pale chest, and a band of dark streaks across the belly. Females are larger than males, but they look alike. Winter brings some very pale and very dark birds from farther north, so not every Red-tail looks like the field guide cover.

The Red-tailed Hawk call is the harsh, screaming kee-eeeer that movies use for eagles.

In Texas winters, look for it statewide in open country with scattered trees, especially along roadsides and farm fields.

32. American Kestrel

Family – Falconidae
Species – Falco sparverius
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Winter Migrant

The American Kestrel is North America's smallest falcon, and winter in Texas brings a lot of them down from the north. It hunts grasshoppers, mice, and small birds, often hovering in place over a field.

Males have blue-gray wings, a rusty back and tail, and black spots. Females have rusty-brown wings and back with dark barring. Both have two black "sideburn" stripes on the face.

The American Kestrel call is a shrill klee-klee-klee.

In Texas winters, look for kestrels on power lines along rural roads statewide, especially in farmland and pasture. They often bob their tails when perched.

33. Northern Harrier

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Circus hudsonius
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Northern Harrier is a winter visitor that hunts by flying low over grasslands and marshes, tilting side to side and listening for rodents. It has an owl-like face that helps it hear prey in the grass.

Males are pale gray above and white below with black wingtips, earning the nickname "gray ghost." Females are brown above with streaks below. Both have a bright white patch at the base of the tail.

The Northern Harrier call is mostly quiet in winter, though you may hear a sharp chattering near roosts.

In Texas winters, look for it over coastal marshes, prairies, and farm fields statewide.

34. Cooper's Hawk

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Astur cooperii
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Winter Migrant

The Cooper's Hawk is the hawk most likely to turn your feeder into its own drive-through. It hunts birds like doves and starlings, using trees and shrubs for cover before a fast ambush.

Adults are blue-gray above with fine orange barring below, a dark cap, and a long, rounded, banded tail. Females are noticeably bigger than males. Young birds are brown with streaks. It looks a lot like the smaller Sharp-shinned Hawk, which also winters in Texas.

The Cooper's Hawk call is a sharp cak-cak-cak, but it's usually quiet when hunting.

In Texas winters, look for it in neighborhoods, parks, and woodland edges statewide, especially near feeders. If your feeder goes quiet all at once, look up.

Texas Winter Birds FAQ

What birds come to Texas for the winter?

Lots of them. Sandhill and Whooping Cranes, Snow Geese, Redheads and other ducks, American White Pelicans, Northern Harriers, kestrels, and extra Red-tailed Hawks all arrive for winter. In the backyard, you'll see American Goldfinches, Dark-eyed Juncos, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and several sparrows. For a look at who's wintering next door, see our guides to winter birds in Oklahoma and winter birds in Louisiana.

What are the most common birds in Texas in winter?

At feeders, the most common birds in Texas in winter are the Northern Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee, Mourning Dove, American Goldfinch, House Finch, House Sparrow, Blue Jay, and Northern Mockingbird, which were the top eight in FeederWatch's South Central rankings. Outside the yard, grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Yellow-rumped Warblers are everywhere.

Where can I see Whooping Cranes in Texas?

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge near Austwell and Rockport is the main spot. The refuge has observation towers and a 16-mile auto tour, and boat tours from Rockport also visit the marshes. The cranes are there from about November through March.

Which birds of Texas are found nowhere else in the U.S.?

A few birds of Texas are found in the U.S. only in South Texas, including the Green Jay, Plain Chachalaca, and Altamira Oriole, all year-round residents of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The Golden-fronted Woodpecker and Black-crested Titmouse are also mostly Texas birds, though they range into Oklahoma or Mexico.

Do Texas birds need help when it freezes?

Hard freezes are rare in much of Texas but can be rough on birds, since they aren't always prepared for ice. During a freeze, keep feeders full of high-energy food like suet and sunflower, and offer fresh, unfrozen water. Never put out bread, which has almost no nutrition for birds.

And if you drive all the way to Rockport and the Whooping Cranes are on the far side of the marsh, don't take it personally. There are only a few hundred of them, and they're very busy with the crabs.

What birds have you seen in Texas lately?

Share them on the Sparkbird App, where you can log your sightings and connect with other birders near you, from the Panhandle to the Valley.