When is it time for hummingbirds

Very few flowers are in bloom and insect food is scarce. Yet here they are, following their instinctive innate migratory behavior. Your feeder can provide some needed energy to keep them going until they reach their final destination.

Thus, having your hummingbird feeders set up and out for the earliest migrants can really help them in spring. Hummingbirds don't all migrate at the same time. The angle of the sun on their wintering grounds triggers their hormones and eventually the urge to migrate turns into action. Weather they encounter on their travels may aid or hamper their travels. In general, males migrate and arrive on their breeding grounds a week or two before the females.

Males then set up and defend territories around food sources--flowers or even your hummingbird feeders. Females arrive and find the males. After mating, the females set up separate nesting territories and defend against other hummingbirds. The males take no part in nest building, incubating, or raising the young--the cad! Within weeks the young are out of the nest and flying about.

This is when visitors to your hummingbird feeders really increase. The young-of-the-year make up the bulk of hummingbirds at your feeder through late summer and fall. Hang up your hummingbird feeders in spring a week before you expect the first birds to arrive.

Then they'll be ready when the first migrants pass through. When do hummingbirds leave? In the West, male hummingbirds are done with their contribution to the next generation in early summer.

By early July they have left the lowlands and head up into the mountains. There they find flowers blooming higher and higher as they make their way south in the mountains to southern Mexico for the winter. Now you know. Kind of kidding. But the young birds still hang around their nesting area.

These will remain at your feeders through fall. They are joined by migrants from further north as weather changes and hormones impel them southward. Hummingbirds in fall will feed from your feeders and gain energy for their migration. Your hummingbird feeders will not cause hummingbirds not to migrate. Hormones are greater than even free food. You don't. Keep feeding them as long as they keep coming to your feeder. Adult male hummingbirds usually leave in summer, months before the females and young.

Keep your hummingbird feeders up until there are no more hummingbirds. Take your hummingbird feeders down for the winter two weeks after you see the last hummingbird.

There is no need to take your hummingbird feeders down in winter if you live there! In fact, Anna's Hummingbirds nest from late December into February!

From Texas to Florida some hummingbirds of several species are rare winter visitors--especially near the coast. Keep feeding all winter as long as there are hummingbirds! Is a late hummingbird just moving through, or will it stay to spend the winter? Hummingbird migration lasts into November. If you still have any hummingbirds by mid-December, they will likely remain through the winter.

Such wintering birds may remain in place until March or April! To keep hummingbird feeders from freezing in winter you may place the feeder near an incandescent porch light that provides some heat.

If that's not practical, bring the feeder into your home well after dark. Hummingbirds feed well after dusk on cold winter nights. Put the feeder out at dawn so that cold hummers have some room-temperature calories to warm up with on cold winter mornings. I wrote an article on how to keep your hummingbird feeder from freezing in winter, if you have hummingbirds in winter. In this section I use real data from eBird to determine when regular hummingbirds are present in each state in the United States.

Then you can know when to set up and take down your feeders based on birds in your area. If I mention hummingbirds in winter then that species occurs regularly, even if very rarely. Most states have had several rare hummingbird species show up in winter over the years, but not regularly enough to mention or expect. But that rare hummingbird will only show up at your feeder if your feeder is set up with fresh nectar!

This chart summarizes the timing in the text that follows in the next section. It tells you exactly when to feed hummingbirds.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds arrive in Alabama about the 2nd week of March and depart Alabama about the 1st week of November. Put out your hummingbird feeders in Alabama by the first week of March. Take them down in mid-November if you haven't seen any hummingbirds in 2 weeks. Rufous Hummingbirds arrive in Southeast and Southcentral Alaska the first week of April and depart at the end of August. Anna's Hummingbirds are most common from late August to late April in Southeast and southcentral Alaska.

They are less common in summer. A few Costa's Hummingbirds have shown up as rarities in fall in Alaska. Keep your hummingbird feeders up year round in Southeast and Southcentral Alaska.

Check a range map or eBird for what hummingbirds are expected in your Arizona county. Many hummingbird species are found only in Southern or Southeastern Arizona. Blue-throated Mountain-gems are year-round residents in Southern Arizona.

Lucifer Hummingbirds arrive in Southern Arizona in the last week of March and remain until the first week of October. Black-chinned Hummingbirds arrive in Arizona the first week of March and depart at the end of October. Broad-tailed Hummingbirds arrive in Arizona the 1st week of March and depart the first week of November. Rufous Hummingbirds migrate through Arizona in spring from mid-February to mid-May. Rufous-hummingbirds migrate through Arizona in fall from the 1st week of July to the first week of November.

Violet-crowned Hummingbirds arrive in Southern Arizona the 2nd week of January and depart in mid-November. White-eared Hummingbirds arrive in Southeastern Arizona the 2nd week of May and depart the first week of September.

If you live in Arizona keep a bunch of hummingbird feeders up year round! Ruby-throated Hummingbirds arrive in Arkansas the last week of March and depart in the middle of November. Put up your hummingbird feeders in Arkansas by the middle of March. Take your hummingbird feeders down in December if you haven't seen any hummingbirds in 2 weeks. Black-chinned Hummingbirds arrive in California the last week of March and depart the last week of September.

Costa's Hummingbirds are year-round residents in the deserts of Southern California. Rufous Hummingbirds migrate through California in spring from mid-February to the 3rd week of May. Fall migration starts immediately; Rufous Hummingbirds migrate through California in fall from mid-June to the end of September.

Allen's Hummingbirds are resident in coastal Southern California. Calliope Hummingbirds arrive in California the first week of April and depart in mid-August. Residents of California should keep their hummingbird feeders up all year. Black-chinned Hummingbirds arrive in Colorado in mid-April and depart the 1st week of October. Broad-tailed Hummingbirds arrive in Colorado the 2nd week of April and depart in mid-October. Rufous Hummingbirds pass through Colorado in fall migration from late June through September.

Calliope Hummingbirds pass through Colorado in fall migration from the 1st week of July to the 3rd week of September. Put your hummingbird feeders out in Colorado by the 1st of April. Take your feeders down in November if you haven't seen any hummingbirds in 2 weeks. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds arrive in Connecticut in mid-April and depart in mid-October.

Put your hummingbird feeders out in early April in Connecticut. Take your feeders down in November if you haven't seen a hummingbird in 2 weeks. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds arrive the first week of April in Delaware and depart in mid-October. Put your hummingbird feeders out by April 1st in Delaware. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are found year-round in Florida, more abundantly during the spring and fall migrations.

Peak numbers are found from late March to mid-May and then again from the first week of June to the 1st week in November. Many other hummingbirds have been reported in Florida. Black-chinned Hummingbirds and Rufous Hummingbirds have wintered. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds arrive the 2nd week of March in Georgia and most depart by November. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and Rufous Hummingbirds are rare but regular in winter.

Black-chinned Hummingbirds and Calliope Hummingbirds are even more rare in winter in Georgia. Keep your hummingbird feeders up all year in Georgia. If you haven't seen any hummingbirds for 3 weeks by mid-December, go ahead and take down your feeders until the beginning of March.

Hummingbirds aren't likely to move around much in winter. No hummingbirds live in Hawaii. But there are many other colorful tropical birds. Honeycreepers are nectar eaters, but apparently are only attracted to native flowers, not nectar feeders. Too bad, because most types are endangered and could use the help.

Black-chinned Hummingbirds arrive in Idaho in early April and depart in mid-October. Anna's Hummingbirds are rare visitors to Idaho. Some birds remain all year, but most are winter visitors.

In the furthest northern reaches of hummingbird ranges, the birds do not arrive until late spring or early summer. In the central Canadian range of the calliope hummingbird or the Alaskan territory of the rufous hummingbird, you can wait until mid-May or very early June to put out hummingbird feeders.

Birders should always be on the lookout for earlier arrivals, however, and get the feeders ready to serve them. No matter where you live, local climates vary, and seasons can come early or late. Look for these natural clues or indicators that can help you determine when to start feeding hummingbirds:. Review your records in a birding journal about previous years' arrival dates. Hummingbirds, like most migrant birds, can be very predictable with their arrival and departure dates.

Expect a few days of variation from year to year. It is better to put out hummingbird feeders earlier rather than later. Do not wait to see the first hummingbirds before getting feeders ready, as this will likely be too late to attract the earliest migrants.

These birds have amazing geographical memories for reliable food sources. Once hummingbirds find your feeders, they will continue to visit year after year. If the feeders are missing, the birds are likely to move on to another option—they may not readily return to an unpredictable food source.

If you put the nectar out too early, at worst, you may worry about the nectar freezing during a late winter or early spring cold snap. Replace old or spoiled nectar once or twice before the birds arrive. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. We at the U. Fish and Wildlife Service want to provide some food for thought when it comes to taking in your hummingbird feeders.

Hummingbird feeders are popular and usually busy with activity from early spring through late summer. Here in the midwest, they are most commonly visited by ruby-throated hummingbirds , but fall migration can bring some unusual birds, including the rufous hummingbird. In fact, the rufous hummingbird has been appearing in increasing numbers in the midwest in recent years, which is well outside of its normal range. Rufous hummingbirds are able to survive the cold for short periods by lowering their metabolism.

This includes the use of heat lamps to keep feeders open. Male ruby-throated hummingbird at a feeder. If you live in a region like this then put your feeder back out when it begins to warm up in March to April. Use some of the tips above if you are concerned it may freeze and have hummingbirds feeding from it already.

Jesse enjoys bird watching and feeding birds in his backyard, learning about the different species, and sharing his knowledge and experiences. Great gift idea for the bird lover: Birds stained glass sun-catcher! It's never too late to start feeding hummingbirds.

Here's a quick list of things you'll need to get you started! Hummingbird feeder poles 12oz hummingbird feeders Ant moats optional Make your hummingbird nectar at home Fill your feeders with the nectar, and put them out!