When to Take Down Hummingbird Feeders in Fall

Take your hummingbird feeder down about two weeks after you see the last hummingbird of the season. Leaving it up longer does no harm: feeders don’t stop hummingbirds from migrating, because shorter days, not food, trigger the trip south. That late feeder can help stragglers passing through from farther north, and in some regions it can stay up all winter.

That’s the short answer. The rest of this guide covers why the old “take it down so they’ll leave” advice is wrong, when hummingbirds actually leave your area, where they spend the winter, and what to do with a feeder in places where hummingbirds stay year round.

Does leaving a feeder up stop hummingbirds from migrating?

No. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says plainly that keeping feeders up has no influence on whether a bird starts its journey south. The main trigger is day length: as days shorten in late summer, birds become restless and head south whether or not your feeder is full.

The myth probably survives because it sounds kind. People worry that a bird will stay too long for a free meal and get caught by the cold. In reality, a hummingbird that lingers late in the season is usually a young bird, a bird that was delayed, or a migrant from much farther north. For those birds, a reliable feeder is a help, not a trap. The Cornell Lab’s own advice is to keep feeders up for several weeks after the last hummingbird leaves your area, in case a straggler turns up.

When do hummingbirds leave in the fall?

It depends on the species and how far north you live, but the pattern is the same everywhere: adult males leave first, then females, then the young of the year.

• Ruby-throated Hummingbird (East): males can begin migrating as early as August, according to the Cornell Lab. Females and juveniles follow through late summer and into fall.
• Rufous Hummingbird (West): this species runs a clockwise loop around western North America. It moves north up the Pacific Coast in late winter and spring, then can start south as early as July, travelling down the Rocky Mountains.
• Anna’s Hummingbird (Pacific Coast): it barely migrates. Many stay at the same feeders all year.

Because the timing shifts with latitude, a single date can’t work for the whole continent. Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources, for example, suggests leaving feeders up until about October 1 there, then another one to two weeks if hummingbirds are still visiting. Farther north you’ll see your last birds earlier; along the Gulf Coast, later.

The two-week rule, step by step

The simplest way to decide is to watch your own feeder, not the calendar.

1. Keep the feeder going through the fall. Change the nectar regularly, more often when it’s warm, and keep the feeder clean. Our feeder cleaning guide covers how.
2. Note the last date you see a hummingbird. A quick note on your phone is enough.
3. Wait about two weeks. If you see no more birds in that time, the local movement is almost certainly over.
4. Clean and store the feeder. Wash it well, let it dry fully and store it somewhere dry, so it’s ready for spring.
5. If a hummingbird appears after that, put it back up. Late visitors are often unusual birds and worth a closer look.

If you’re unsure whether you’ve seen the last one, leaving the feeder up a little longer costs you only some sugar and a few minutes of cleaning.

Where do hummingbirds go in the winter?

Most North American hummingbirds spend the winter far to the south, but a few species and individuals stay closer than you might think.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird’s Gulf crossing

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird makes one of the most remarkable trips of any small bird. According to the National Park Service, many cross the Gulf of Mexico in a single non-stop flight of about 500 miles that lasts 18 to 20 hours. To fuel it, a bird that normally weighs about 3.25 grams builds up to around 6 grams, nearly doubling its body weight, mostly in fat. Late-summer feeders and nectar flowers are part of how they do it, which is one more reason not to take your feeder down early.

The Rufous Hummingbird’s long loop

The Rufous Hummingbird holds a different record. The Cornell Lab calculates that its one-way migration of roughly 3,900 miles, from Alaska to Mexico, works out to about 78 million body lengths. Audubon notes that, while it winters mostly in Mexico, many Rufous Hummingbirds now winter regularly in the Gulf Coast states, and strays turn up widely in the East. It’s the western hummingbird most often found in eastern states.

Should you leave a hummingbird feeder up all winter?

In most of the US and Canada, no, because there won’t be any hummingbirds to use it. But there are two clear exceptions.

The Pacific Coast. Anna’s Hummingbirds live along the coast all year, so a winter feeder there can be a regular food source on cold days when few flowers are open. They can survive cold nights by entering torpor, a deep energy-saving state in which, the Cornell Lab reports, body temperature can fall from about 107 F to as low as 48 F. For more on how that works, see our guide on whether hummingbirds sleep.

The Gulf Coast and the Southeast. With Rufous and other western hummingbirds wintering there in growing numbers, many people in these states keep a feeder up through the winter on purpose.

Elsewhere, if a hummingbird appears at your feeder in late fall or winter, keep the feeder up for as long as it visits. Maryland’s DNR notes that, very rarely, young hummingbirds stay through the winter, and those birds depend on a reliable food source.

How do you keep a hummingbird feeder from freezing?

Nectar made with the standard mix freezes at around 29 F, according to Birds Connect Seattle (formerly Seattle Audubon). These are the methods they suggest:

• Rotate two feeders. Bring one inside overnight or when it starts to freeze, and swap in the warm one first thing in the morning, when hummingbirds need food most.
• Use a hand warmer. A disposable hand warmer taped or clipped to the feeder gives off heat for about 7 hours.
• Add gentle heat. Old-style incandescent string lights wrapped around the feeder, or a low-watt incandescent bulb hung below it, can keep nectar liquid. LED lights don’t give off enough heat.
• Try heat tape. Plumber’s heat tape with a built-in thermostat, wrapped around the feeder, is another option.

Don’t change the recipe. Keep using 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water, as in our hummingbird nectar recipe. Birds Connect Seattle advises against a stronger mix in winter, because it doesn’t help the birds.

What to do with your feeder once the season ends

Before you store it, wash every part with hot water and a bottle brush, rinse well and let it dry completely. Check the ports and any bee guards for mould or cracks. If the feeder is hard to clean, leaks or is falling apart, the off season is a good time to look at hummingbird feeders that are easy to clean and don’t leak.

Plan to put it back out a little before the birds return in spring. Then, as the days start to shorten again, the same rule applies: watch your feeder, not the calendar.

Are there hummingbirds in Europe?

No. Hummingbirds live only in the Americas. If you’ve seen something hovering at flowers like a tiny hummingbird in Europe, it was almost certainly a hummingbird hawk-moth. The Wildlife Trusts describe it as the only “hummingbird” in Europe: a day-flying moth with a wingspan of 5 to 5.8 cm, grey-brown forewings and orange hindwings, that hovers at nectar-rich flowers such as honeysuckle and red valerian. Like the real thing, it’s a migrant, arriving in the UK from southern Europe each year, and it can be seen from April to December.

There’s nothing to take down for it. Nectar-rich flowers in the garden are what help this moth.

Sources

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Should I stop feeding birds in fall so they can start their migration?
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Rufous Hummingbird
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Anna’s Hummingbird
• National Park Service: Species spotlight, Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Audubon Guide to North American Birds: Rufous Hummingbird
• Birds Connect Seattle: Hummingbirds in winter
• The Wildlife Trusts: Hummingbird hawk-moth