We do not know if any individual bird follows the same route in both directions, and there are some indications that they do not. As with most of our migratory birds, hummingbirds apparently evolved to their present forms during the last ice age.
They were and largely still are tropical birds, but as the great ice sheets retreated from North America, they gradually expanded their ranges to exploit rich temperate food resources and nesting space, filling unoccupied niches in the U. S and southern Canada while evading intense competition in the tropics. Some songbird species have adapted completely to our variable North American climates, in part by becoming vegetarians in winter, and don't migrate.
But hummingbirds are carnivores nectar is just the fuel to power their flycatching activity , and depend on insects that are not abundant in subfreezing weather, so most of them must retreat back "home" to Central America in the winter or risk starvation.
A few Ruby-throated remain along the Gulf coast each winter instead of continuing to Central America, perhaps because they are too old or sick to make another trans-Gulf flight or too young from very late nests to have had time to grow fat and strong enough to migrate; their survival chances depend on the severity of each particular winter, and many perish in unusually cold years.
Another small population winters in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Most Ruby-throated Hummingbirds winter between southern Mexico and northern Panama. Since hummingbirds lead solitary lives and neither live nor migrate in flocks, an individual bird may spend the winter anywhere in this range where the habitat is favorable, but probably returns to the same location each winter.
Ruby-throats begin moving north as early as January, and by the end of February they are at the northern coast of Yucatan, gorging on insects and spiders to add a thick layer of fat in preparation for flying to the U. Some will skirt the Gulf of Mexico and follow the Texas coast north, while most apparently cross the Gulf, typically leaving at dusk for a nonstop flight of up to miles, which takes hours depending on the weather.
Although hummingbirds may fly over water in company of mixed flocks of other bird species, they do not "hitchhike" on other birds. Some hummingbirds land on offshore oil rigs or fishing boats to rest.
But it can still be a couple thousand miles for them. Plus they have the Gulf of Mexico to contend with. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are capable of storing enough fuel—mostly from nectar—to fly that far under the right weather conditions, but conditions in the early fall are often not right.
We have much to learn about how they find their way. Also, despite the folklore, no they do not hitch rides on geese, which was apparently a popular belief many years ago. So, your wee friends from the feeders over the summer will probably be arriving in Mexico and Central America over the next couple of weeks and enjoying the nectar and insects there, along with warmer temperatures.
Be ready in spring with your feeders filled as some will indeed return to their favorite summer nesting spots once again. Subscribe to Podcast. Click play to listen: Subscribe to Podcast. It is a good idea to put up your feeders a few weeks ahead of the expected arrival. If you happen to be on a hummingbird migration route, a hungry traveler might enjoy the meal and possibly even stay. Your regular hummingbirds will expect to return to their normal routine once they arrive.
Are your feeders in good working order? Some may have cracked or broken from the elements over the course of last summer. Begin early and check for problems. Perhaps, you might like to put up more feeders and have more hummingbirds this year. We hope you will take a look at our store for a selection of all types of feeders.
We carry basic feeders, tray feeders, window feeders, decorative feeders, feeder parts and accessories. You might even enjoy providing the birds with some hummingbird nesting material. When do hummingbirds migrate? Just as hummingbird migration routes are in flux, so is the timing.
Of course there may be slight variations in the timing of migration from one year to the next. This change is dependent on food sources and weather. Bigger changes are being documented by scientists. It has been studied that the Ruby-throated hummingbirds are arriving days to weeks early in recent years. They are also taking more days to complete a migration journey.
It is believed that the abundance of family gardens and hummingbird feeders along the way allow for this change. Male hummingbirds always arrive about two weeks before the females. Here is our Report a Hummingbird Sighting Form to report your sightings. Our visitors report a hummingbird sighting and our migration map is updated many times each day to bring you the most current migration map on the web! We receive well over hummingbird Spring and Fall sighting reports each year, adding up to over 88,, sightings in the history of our hummingbird migration map and viewed more than 20,, times since we at "The Hummingbird Guide" have been tracking the hummingbird migration each year.
We have also been tracking the Fall Hummingbird Migration since , one of the very few hummingbird sites who track the migration during this time of year. To report your Fall Migration Sighting for click here. Some ask, "Why track the Fall Migration? This warning helps our visitors to be ready with extra feeders and nectar for the migrating hummingbirds who need the nutrition and fuel for their long journey.
Submit your sighting to our Migration Map. Where do they travel? Hummingbird migration routes vary from species to species. The most famous migration is the Ruby-throated because this remarkable bird travels from Central America and Mexico, crosses the Gulf of Mexico none-stop and continues as far north as eastern Canada. It should be noted that this route would be dangerous in the Fall because of a significant chance of missing the Yucatan Peninsula.
For this reason southbound Ruby-throated hummingbirds follow the Gulf Coast through Louisiana and Texas. Migration routes are not fixed but continue to evolve. The Rufous hummingbird is known to have the longest migration route.
Typically a Rufous flies north along the Pacific Coast from Mexico through California to their breeding grounds as far north as northern Canada and Alaska.
They return south through the Rocky Mountains. Several factors affect hummingbird migration and when exactly these small birds set forth on their long journeys.
The most important factor that determines the timing of hummingbird migration is daylight: the amount of daylight and the angle of the sun relative to the bird's location. As the light levels change seasonally, hummingbirds purposefully eat more, increasing their weight by 25 to 40 percent through hyperphagia, when their hormones change to compel them to gain weight.
That extra fat will be valuable energy for their upcoming long flight. Other factors that influence when hummingbirds migrate include:. Hummingbirds will move along their migration routes as food sources appear and disappear.
The most important food source is nectar-producing flowers , but the availability of insects is also a factor that can influence when hummingbirds migrate and how fast they travel. This is especially true in spring when abundant insects are a key food source for hummingbird hatchlings to get enough protein for healthy growth. Local storms and strong winds can impact hummingbird migration to a minor degree, delaying the birds' journeys by a day or two. During spring migration, hummingbirds may be caught in bird fallouts.
During poor fall weather, migrating hummingbirds may hang out in safe locations for up to a week or two to wait for better traveling conditions. Mature birds often start their migration earlier than juvenile birds. Younger hummingbirds take longer to build up their new strength and maturity before setting forth on the long migration journey. Birds that hatched earlier in the year may migrate slightly earlier as well, compared to broods laid later in the breeding season.
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