Hummingbirds are beautiful animals. When flying, their wings are constantly moving, which enables them to reach 60 miles per hour. They can fly up, down, and backward and use nearly as much energy when hovering as a helicopter does when in flight.
According to Texas Parks & Wildlife, they also move great distances, from Alaska to the tip of Argentina, frequently stopping in Texas to rest or travel north and south. However, the best time to witness these stunning and amazing animals changes.
With one of the biggest populations in the United States, buff-bellied hummingbirds are among the most prevalent hummingbirds. From March to August, they go through Texas.
The blue-throated hummingbird, so named because of its vivid blue throat, has been observed in Texas from March to October.
The Rivoli's hummingbird, also called the gorgeous hummingbird, breeds in the highlands of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico and spends the winter in Mexico and Central America. It has been observed in Texas from mid-March to October.
The lucifer hummingbird is found in Texas from March to November and stays there for nearly a year.
On their route to Canada for the summer, the ruby-throated hummingbirds, which are distinguished by their crimson necks, land in Texas somewhere between mid-March and mid-May.
On their trip back to the Caribbean for the winter, they may occasionally take a plane across Texas in late July or early September.
In Texas, the black-chinned hummingbird will breed from mid-March to early May and remain until mid-July through mid-October.
Between mid-March and the end of May, the broad-tailed hummingbird travels through Texas, and from July to November, it returns.
Seeing rufous hummingbirds in the spring may indicate that they have wintered here and are now heading north to the Pacific Coast, as they usually don't visit Texas until mid-July to mid-October.
The National Audubon Society offers an interactive Bird migratory Explorer where you can look up the species and view their annual migratory patterns if you're interested in learning more.