When to Quit Feeding Hummingbirds?

For Most Places

• Usually, hummingbirds start migrating in September and will be gone from Northern areas by October 15. A good rule of thumb is to leave the feeder up for at least two weeks from the date you last noticed hummingbirds feeding from it. Since it is possible for a few stragglers to be in your area, leaving the feeder up will help give them a boost before they migrate.

Western United States

• Although most hummingbirds will migrate South for the winter, Anna's hummingbirds remain in the coastal and close-to-coastal states of Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and California all year. In these areas, hummingbird feeders should remain up year-round. Other species may also migrate to warmer parts of this area during the winter and remain from October through February. In these parts, as long as you observe hummingbirds at your feeders, you should leave them up.

Southeastern United States

• In southeastern and southern states like South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Texas it is not unheard of to have hummingbirds remain year-round as well. The Ruby-throated hummingbird winters in southern Texas and Florida, but can be seen further north during some winters. The Rufous hummingbird also makes its winter home in the South, although further north than the Ruby-throated hummingbird. They can be found in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Broad-tailed and broad-billed hummingbirds have also been seen here, although very rarely. In these cases, it is a good idea to leave hummingbird feeders up all year-round.

Tips for Feeding in the Winter

• Keeping your feeder up in the winter won't prevent hummingbirds from migrating, as some people believe. According to Kern River Preserve, migration is triggered by instinct and weather, not food availability. If you keep the feeders up, remove the perches from the feeder. Forcing hummingbirds to keep flying helps prevent them from getting too cold while eating. You should bring feeders in at night to prevent them from getting too cold, and then replace them at dawn. If the temperature gets below 32 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, you may want to place a heat lamp above the feeder to prevent it from freezing.