When is it Time to Take Down Hummingbird Feeders?

Keep your hummingbird feeder maintained through the summer months and into fall. Approximately two weeks after seeing your last visitor, you may take your feeder down to prevent freezing of the syrup mixture.

  1. Migration

    • Most hummingbirds migrate south in the fall; the exception being Anna's Hummingbirds, which live year round along the western coast of the U.S., from California to Vancouver Island. The migration begins around July and lasts approximately through November, and is a response to the diminishing daylight of autumn.

    Feeders

    • Removing a hummingbird feeder will not help the birds migrate, nor will maintaining a feeder through the winter keep birds in the area. However, the birds must double their body weight to have enough energy to make the journey south. Feeders should remain accessible for at least two weeks after seeing your last hummingbird, according to Lanny Chambers, hummingbird bander and author of hummingbirds.net. This is especially helpful for late migrating hummingbirds which may have been delayed by injury.

    Exceptions

    • If you live in the southeast United States, you might get a later visit from the Rufous hummingbird, which has been increasingly spotted along the coast, sometimes even in the winter months. A small amount of western-species hummingbirds have been reported east of the Rockies as late as January.