January
Keep high-energy food coming through the cold.
- Black-oil sunflower, suet and peanuts help most in freezing weather.
- Knock snow off trays and roofs so seed stays reachable and dry.
- Wash feeders on a mild day and let them dry before refilling.
When to feed birds
Seed and suet feeders can stay up all year unless bears or a local disease advisory say otherwise. Hang a hummingbird feeder about two weeks before the first birds usually reach your state, and take it down two weeks after you see the last one.
October at the feeder
Take nectar down in the North; start suet.
- In the North, take hummingbird feeders down two weeks after the last bird you see.
- In the South, keep one nectar feeder up into November.
- Juncos arrive for the winter: scatter a little seed on a tray or the ground.
When hummingbirds arrive and leave, state by state
Hang the feeder two weeks before the first birds; take it down two weeks after the last.
Choose your state to see which hummingbirds visit and when they usually come and go.
| State | Hummingbirds | First arrivals, usually | Last ones, usually | Wildlife agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Ruby-throated | Early to mid-March | Late October | Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries ↗ |
| Alaska | Rufous (Southeast) | Late April | August to September | Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation ↗ |
| Arizona | Anna's and Costa's all year in the south; Black-chinned, Broad-tailed | All year in the south; March to April up high | Migrants leave by October | Arizona Game and Fish Department ↗ |
| Arkansas | Ruby-throated | Late March | Mid-October | Arkansas Game and Fish Commission ↗ |
| California | Anna's all year; Allen's, Black-chinned, Costa's | All year (Anna’s) | Anna’s stay all year | California Department of Fish and Wildlife ↗ |
| Colorado | Broad-tailed, Black-chinned; Rufous in late summer | Late April to early May | Late September | Colorado Parks and Wildlife ↗ |
| Connecticut | Ruby-throated | Late April to early May | Early October | Connecticut DEEP Wildlife Division ↗ |
| Delaware | Ruby-throated | Mid-April | Early October | Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife ↗ |
| District of Columbia | Ruby-throated | Mid-April | Early October | District of Columbia Fisheries and Wildlife Division ↗ |
| Florida | Ruby-throated; a few winter in the south | February to March | Most by late October; some stay | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ↗ |
| Georgia | Ruby-throated | Mid-March | Late October | Georgia Wildlife Resources Division ↗ |
| Hawaii | None live in Hawaii | None | None | Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife ↗ |
| Idaho | Calliope, Black-chinned, Rufous | Early to mid-May | Early September | Idaho Department of Fish and Game ↗ |
| Illinois | Ruby-throated | Mid- to late April | Early October | Illinois Department of Natural Resources ↗ |
| Indiana | Ruby-throated | Mid- to late April | Early October | Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife ↗ |
| Iowa | Ruby-throated | Late April to early May | Late September | Iowa Department of Natural Resources ↗ |
| Kansas | Ruby-throated | Mid- to late April | Early October | Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks ↗ |
| Kentucky | Ruby-throated | Early to mid-April | Mid-October | Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources ↗ |
| Louisiana | Ruby-throated; Rufous often winter | Late February to early March | Late October; winter visitors stay | Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries ↗ |
| Maine | Ruby-throated | Early to mid-May | Late September | Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife ↗ |
| Maryland | Ruby-throated | Mid-April | Early October | Maryland Wildlife and Heritage Service ↗ |
| Massachusetts | Ruby-throated | Late April to early May | Late September | Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife ↗ |
| Michigan | Ruby-throated | Early May | Late September | Michigan Department of Natural Resources ↗ |
| Minnesota | Ruby-throated | Early to mid-May | Late September | Minnesota Division of Fish and Wildlife ↗ |
| Mississippi | Ruby-throated | Early March | Late October | Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks ↗ |
| Missouri | Ruby-throated | Early to mid-April | Early October | Missouri Department of Conservation ↗ |
| Montana | Calliope, Rufous, Broad-tailed | Mid-May | Early September | Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks ↗ |
| Nebraska | Ruby-throated | Late April to early May | Late September | Nebraska Game and Parks Commission ↗ |
| Nevada | Black-chinned; Anna's all year around Las Vegas | April (all year around Las Vegas) | September to October | Nevada Department of Wildlife ↗ |
| New Hampshire | Ruby-throated | Early to mid-May | Late September | New Hampshire Fish and Game Department ↗ |
| New Jersey | Ruby-throated | Late April | Early October | New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife ↗ |
| New Mexico | Black-chinned, Broad-tailed; Rufous in late summer | Late March to April | October | New Mexico Department of Game and Fish ↗ |
| New York | Ruby-throated | Late April to early May | Late September to early October | New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ↗ |
| North Carolina | Ruby-throated | Late March to early April | Mid-October | North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission ↗ |
| North Dakota | Ruby-throated | Mid-May | Mid-September | North Dakota Game and Fish Department ↗ |
| Ohio | Ruby-throated | Mid- to late April | Early October | Ohio Division of Wildlife ↗ |
| Oklahoma | Ruby-throated; Black-chinned in the west | Late March to early April | Mid-October | Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation ↗ |
| Oregon | Anna's all year west of the Cascades; Rufous | All year west; Rufous from March | Rufous leave by September | Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife ↗ |
| Pennsylvania | Ruby-throated | Late April | Early October | Pennsylvania Game Commission ↗ |
| Rhode Island | Ruby-throated | Late April to early May | Late September | Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife ↗ |
| South Carolina | Ruby-throated | Mid-March | Late October | South Carolina Department of Natural Resources ↗ |
| South Dakota | Ruby-throated; Broad-tailed in the Black Hills | Mid-May | Mid-September | South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks ↗ |
| Tennessee | Ruby-throated | Late March to early April | Mid-October | Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency ↗ |
| Texas | Ruby-throated in the east; Black-chinned in the west | Late February (coast) to late March | October; some winter on the coast | Texas Parks and Wildlife Department ↗ |
| Utah | Broad-tailed, Black-chinned; Rufous in late summer | Late April to early May | Late September | Utah Division of Wildlife Resources ↗ |
| Vermont | Ruby-throated | Early to mid-May | Late September | Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife ↗ |
| Virginia | Ruby-throated | Early to mid-April | Mid-October | Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources ↗ |
| Washington | Anna's all year west of the Cascades; Rufous | All year west; Rufous from March | Rufous leave by September | Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife ↗ |
| West Virginia | Ruby-throated | Mid-April | Early October | West Virginia Division of Natural Resources ↗ |
| Wisconsin | Ruby-throated | Early May | Late September | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources ↗ |
| Wyoming | Broad-tailed, Calliope, Rufous | Mid-May | Early September | Wyoming Game and Fish Department ↗ |
Typical windows from each species’ range and migration; a warm or late spring shifts them by a week or two, and each year’s first birds come earlier at the coast and later in the mountains. Leaving a feeder up in fall does not stop hummingbirds migrating. Mix 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water with the nectar calculator, and see hummingbird feeders that are easy to clean.
Month by month at the feeder
February
First hummingbirds reach the Gulf Coast.
- Along the Gulf Coast and in Florida, hang a nectar feeder by late February.
- Keep suet up everywhere else; cardinals are singing and pairing.
- After a thaw, check hoppers for clumped or moldy seed.
March
Nectar feeders go up across the South.
- Hang hummingbird feeders in the southern states and the desert Southwest.
- Deep-clean every feeder before the spring rush.
- In bear country, take seed and suet in as bears wake.
April
Hummingbirds spread north; goldfinches turn yellow.
- Hang nectar feeders from the Mid-Atlantic to the Midwest and the lower Rockies.
- In Maryland bear habitat, feeders come down from April through November.
- Switch to no-melt suet as days warm.
May
The last nectar feeders go up in the North.
- New England, the northern Plains and the northern Rockies hang nectar feeders.
- Change nectar every two to three days as it warms.
- Offer mealworms to bluebirds feeding young.
June
Busy feeders, warm weather: clean more often.
- Replace nectar every one to two days in heat.
- Wash seed feeders every week or two and rake up spilled seed.
- Hold off on plain suet; it softens and spoils.
July
Peak heat: fresh nectar every day or two.
- Hang nectar in shade and scrub ports when you refill.
- Rufous hummingbirds start moving south through the Rockies.
- Keep only as much seed out as birds finish in a few days.
August
Young hummingbirds and early migrants crowd the feeders.
- Add a second nectar feeder out of sight of the first if one bird guards it.
- Keep nectar fresh; migrants need it most now.
- Check suet and seed for mold after summer storms.
September
Hummingbirds leave the North; suet comes back.
- Keep nectar up for stragglers; a feeder does not delay migration.
- Restart suet as nights cool.
- Clean and check feeders before the winter flocks arrive.
October
Take nectar down in the North; start suet.
- In the North, take hummingbird feeders down two weeks after the last bird you see.
- In the South, keep one nectar feeder up into November.
- Juncos arrive for the winter: scatter a little seed on a tray or the ground.
November
Winter flocks settle in.
- Keep seed dry and add a second feeder for bigger flocks.
- On the Gulf Coast, a wintering hummingbird may visit: keep one feeder clean and filled.
- Store cleaned nectar feeders dry until spring.
December
Fill up before storms.
- Fill feeders before a storm; birds feed hard ahead of it.
- Black-oil sunflower, suet and peanuts give the most energy.
- Clear the ground under feeders so waste does not pile up under snow.
Bears change the season
A bird feeder is a meal for a bear. Where bears live, feeding season is winter, while they sleep. If a bear has visited your yard or neighborhood, take seed, suet and nectar in and follow your state wildlife agency’s advice.
- Colorado: Bird feeders are appropriate only in winter when bears are hibernating; remove feeders in spring through fall.
- In or near Maryland bear habitat: Remove backyard bird feeders April through November.
Other states set their own rules; the agency for each state is linked in the table above.
When birds look sick
Fluffed-up birds that sit still, crusty or swollen eyes, or growths on the face or feet are signs to act on, not to diagnose. Clean every feeder more often and consider a 10-minute soak in one part bleach to nine parts water for parts that allow it. Taking feeders down for a while helps where few neighbors feed birds; where many do, it can crowd birds onto the feeders that remain. Check your state wildlife agency for a current advisory.
Cleaning checklist