Hummingbirds are captivating birds known for their unique hovering flight and nectar feeding. Their presence is seasonal in most locations, prompting questions about when hummingbird season occurs in different regions.
The Migratory Cycle of Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds undertake annual journeys between their breeding and wintering grounds. Most North American species travel south to winter in warmer climates like Mexico, Central America, or the Caribbean. This extensive journey, spanning thousands of miles, is a solitary effort for each bird.
Drivers for these migrations are food availability and climate. As temperatures drop and flowering plants become scarce in northern regions during fall, hummingbirds move to areas where nectar and insects remain abundant. Conversely, warming temperatures and blooming flowers of spring signal their return northward to breed. These tiny birds prepare for their arduous travels by increasing their food intake, gaining body weight to fuel their long flights.
Geographic Timing of Hummingbird Season
Hummingbird season varies across North America due to different migratory patterns and resident populations.
Southern United States
In the Southern United States, hummingbirds begin arriving as early as late February to mid-March. Some species, such as Anna’s and Buff-bellied hummingbirds, can be found year-round in warm coastal and southern desert regions. Fall migration from these southern areas can start in late July, with some lingering into late October.
Mid-Atlantic and Northeast
Further north in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern states, spring arrivals for Ruby-throated hummingbirds occur in March, progressively filtering northward. Departures from Georgia begin by the end of August, while most birds in the Mid-Atlantic states will have left by mid-September. In the Northeast and New England, Ruby-throated hummingbirds return between late April and mid-May. Their season concludes by mid-September.
Midwest and Western Regions
The Midwest sees Ruby-throated hummingbird arrivals by mid-April. In the Pacific Northwest, Anna’s hummingbirds are year-round residents. Other species, like the Rufous hummingbird, arrive as early as February or March, reaching Washington and British Columbia by May. Broad-tailed hummingbirds appear in southern Arizona by late February or early March, extending their range northward into Idaho and Montana by late May. Fall migration for western species can begin as early as July, continuing through October.
Canada
Across Canada, Ruby-throated hummingbirds arrive in late April and early May. Peak activity before their southward migration is August.
Environmental Triggers and Season Duration
The timing of hummingbird migration and season duration are influenced by several environmental factors.
The primary cue for initiating migration is the changing length of daylight hours, known as photoperiod. As days shorten in the fall, this triggers their instinct to migrate south, independent of immediate temperature or food availability. Conversely, lengthening days in spring prompt their return to breeding grounds.
Temperature also plays a role, with warming conditions in spring signaling northward movement and cooling temperatures in fall encouraging southward migration. These temperature fluctuations can lead to variations in arrival and departure dates each year for a specific region.
Food availability, nectar from blooming flowers and insects, is a driving factor for their presence. Hummingbirds need consistent food sources to maintain their high metabolic rate.
Climate change is altering these established patterns. Earlier spring temperatures can lead to earlier departures from wintering grounds and arrivals in breeding areas. This can sometimes create a mismatch between hummingbird arrival and the peak bloom times of their food sources, a phenomenon known as phenological asynchrony. Such shifts in timing and the distribution of flowering plants may impact the long-term survival of certain hummingbird populations.