Who's at my feeder?

Hummingbird feeders

When to put out hummingbird feeders

Hang the feeder before the first hummingbirds arrive and leave it up until the last ones have passed – here are the months for your state.

Ruby-throated hummingbird – put hummingbird feeders out before the first ones arrive
Photo iNaturalist, CC0

Rule of thumb

Two weeks early, two weeks late

Put the feeder out about two weeks before the usual arrival month, so the first tired migrants find it. Take it down about two weeks after you last see a hummingbird: feeders do not keep hummingbirds from migrating, and late birds from further north still stop by.

Where hummingbirds stay all year, keep the feeder up and stop the nectar freezing on frosty nights.

Nectar

Fill it right

One part white sugar to four parts water, no red dye, no honey – see the nectar recipe. Change it more often the warmer it gets.

State by state

Put out and take down, state by state

StateMain hummingbirdArrivesPeakLeavesFeeder outTake down
AlabamaRuby-throated HummingbirdMarchAugustOctoberby mid-March2 weeks after last visit (October)
AlaskaRufous HummingbirdAprilJulyAugustby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (August)
ArizonaAnna's Hummingbirdall yearFebruaryall yearkeep up all year–
ArkansasRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilSeptemberOctoberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (October)
CaliforniaAnna's Hummingbirdall yearSeptemberall yearkeep up all year–
ColoradoBroad-tailed HummingbirdAprilJulySeptemberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (September)
ConnecticutRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilAugustSeptemberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (September)
DelawareRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilAugustOctoberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (October)
District of ColumbiaRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilAugustSeptemberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (September)
FloridaRuby-throated Hummingbirdall yearJulyall yearkeep up all year–
GeorgiaRuby-throated HummingbirdMarchAugustOctoberby mid-March2 weeks after last visit (October)
IdahoBlack-chinned HummingbirdMayAugustSeptemberby mid-May2 weeks after last visit (September)
IllinoisRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilAugustOctoberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (October)
IndianaRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilAugustOctoberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (October)
IowaRuby-throated HummingbirdMayAugustOctoberby mid-May2 weeks after last visit (October)
KansasRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilSeptemberOctoberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (October)
KentuckyRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilAugustOctoberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (October)
LouisianaRuby-throated HummingbirdMarchSeptemberOctoberby mid-Marcha few stay all winter – optional
MaineRuby-throated HummingbirdMayAugustSeptemberby mid-May2 weeks after last visit (September)
MarylandRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilAugustOctoberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (October)
MassachusettsRuby-throated HummingbirdMayAugustSeptemberby mid-May2 weeks after last visit (September)
MichiganRuby-throated HummingbirdMayAugustSeptemberby mid-May2 weeks after last visit (September)
MinnesotaRuby-throated HummingbirdMayAugustSeptemberby mid-May2 weeks after last visit (September)
MississippiRuby-throated HummingbirdMarchSeptemberOctoberby mid-March2 weeks after last visit (October)
MissouriRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilAugustOctoberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (October)
MontanaRufous HummingbirdMayJulySeptemberby mid-May2 weeks after last visit (September)
NebraskaRuby-throated HummingbirdMaySeptemberOctoberby mid-May2 weeks after last visit (October)
NevadaAnna's Hummingbirdall yearFebruaryall yearkeep up all year–
New HampshireRuby-throated HummingbirdMayAugustSeptemberby mid-May2 weeks after last visit (September)
New JerseyRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilAugustOctoberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (October)
New MexicoBlack-chinned HummingbirdAprilJulyOctoberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (October)
New YorkRuby-throated HummingbirdMayAugustSeptemberby mid-May2 weeks after last visit (September)
North CarolinaRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilAugustOctoberby mid-Aprila few stay all winter – optional
OhioRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilAugustSeptemberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (September)
OklahomaRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilAugustOctoberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (October)
OregonAnna's Hummingbirdall yearFebruaryall yearkeep up all year–
PennsylvaniaRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilAugustSeptemberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (September)
Rhode IslandRuby-throated HummingbirdMayAugustSeptemberby mid-May2 weeks after last visit (September)
South CarolinaRuby-throated HummingbirdMarchAugustOctoberby mid-Marcha few stay all winter – optional
TennesseeRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilAugustOctoberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (October)
TexasRuby-throated HummingbirdMarchSeptemberNovemberby mid-Marcha few stay all winter – optional
UtahBlack-chinned HummingbirdAprilAugustSeptemberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (September)
VermontRuby-throated HummingbirdMayAugustSeptemberby mid-May2 weeks after last visit (September)
VirginiaRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilAugustOctoberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (October)
WashingtonAnna's Hummingbirdall yearFebruaryall yearkeep up all year–
West VirginiaRuby-throated HummingbirdAprilAugustSeptemberby mid-April2 weeks after last visit (September)
WisconsinRuby-throated HummingbirdMayAugustSeptemberby mid-May2 weeks after last visit (September)
WyomingBroad-tailed HummingbirdMayJulySeptemberby mid-May2 weeks after last visit (September)

Sightings from the eBird Observation Dataset and others via GBIF.org, 2019–2024 (CC BY 4.0). Arrival and departure = first and last month with at least 5% of the peak month's sightings and clearly above the winter level.

Questions

Timing: questions

When should I put out my hummingbird feeder?

About two weeks before the first hummingbirds usually arrive in your state – see the table for your state's arrival month.

When should I take down my hummingbird feeder?

Keep it up until about two weeks after you see the last hummingbird. A feeder left up does not stop them migrating; late birds from further north still use it.

Should I leave my hummingbird feeder up all winter?

Only where hummingbirds stay all year – in our data Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, Oregon, Washington. There, keep nectar from freezing on frosty nights.

Related

More about hummingbirds