Hummingbird feeder timing, state by state

When should you put out your hummingbird feeder?

About two weeks before the first birds reach your state — and that date is remarkably predictable, because spring migration sweeps north on a latitude schedule. Find your state below for put-out and take-down dates, local species, and the nectar recipe.

Alabama — feeders out by February 15 Alaska — feeders out by April 10 Arizona — feeders out by Year-round — no need to take them down in most of the state Arkansas — feeders out by March 1 California — feeders out by Year-round — Anna's visit feeders in every month Colorado — feeders out by April 1 Connecticut — feeders out by April 10 Delaware — feeders out by March 25 Florida — feeders out by February 10 — or simply never take them down Georgia — feeders out by February 20 Hawaii — feeders out by Not applicable Idaho — feeders out by April 15 Illinois — feeders out by March 25 in southern Illinois, April 1 upstate Indiana — feeders out by April 1 Iowa — feeders out by April 10 Kansas — feeders out by April 1 Kentucky — feeders out by March 25 Louisiana — feeders out by February 10 Maine — feeders out by April 15 Maryland — feeders out by March 25 Massachusetts — feeders out by April 10 Michigan — feeders out by April 10 in the Lower Peninsula, April 25 in the U.P. Minnesota — feeders out by April 15 Mississippi — feeders out by February 15 Missouri — feeders out by March 25 Montana — feeders out by April 15 Nebraska — feeders out by April 10 Nevada — feeders out by March 1 in southern Nevada, April 1 in the north New Hampshire — feeders out by April 15 New Jersey — feeders out by April 1 New Mexico — feeders out by March 15 New York — feeders out by April 10 North Carolina — feeders out by March 15 North Dakota — feeders out by April 25 Ohio — feeders out by April 1 Oklahoma — feeders out by March 20 Oregon — feeders out by Year-round on the west side; March 1 east of the Cascades Pennsylvania — feeders out by April 1 Rhode Island — feeders out by April 10 South Carolina — feeders out by March 1 South Dakota — feeders out by April 20 Tennessee — feeders out by March 15 Texas — feeders out by February 15 (coast and south), March 15 (Panhandle) Utah — feeders out by April 1 Vermont — feeders out by April 15 Virginia — feeders out by March 15 Washington — feeders out by Year-round west of the Cascades; March 15 on the east side West Virginia — feeders out by April 1 Wisconsin — feeders out by April 10 Wyoming — feeders out by April 15
First arrivals Feb–March First arrivals late March–April First arrivals late April–May Hummingbirds year-round No wild hummingbirds

Northeast

Southeast

Midwest

South Central

Mountain West

Pacific

Filling a feeder today? Skip the math — scale the sugar-water recipe to your exact feeder size.

Nectar calculator

Also at your feeder

Orioles

Grape jelly, orange halves, and a 6:1 nectar mix — timed to a season that starts in late April and ends surprisingly early. Arrival and departure dates for all 50 states.

Suet season

Woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees run on fat once the frost hits — start dates, stop dates, and bear-country rules for all 50 states, plus the homemade cake recipe.

How to attract orioles

The full setup in five steps: jelly done right, oranges as advertising, and what to do when the birds go quiet in June.

How the dates work

Hummingbird spring migration is one of the most predictable events in North American nature. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds cross the Gulf Coast in late February, and the front edge moves north with the blooming season — the mid-South in March, the mid-Atlantic and lower Midwest in April, the northern border states by mid-May. Out West, the calendar runs on different birds: Rufous Hummingbirds hit the Pacific coast as early as January, while Anna's Hummingbirds never leave it at all.

The dates on this site are typical windows for each state, not precise days — a warm spring can pull arrivals a week early, a cold snap can push them late. We set the put-out date about two weeks before typical first arrivals, because the vanguard birds show up hungry, ahead of most flowers.

And the fall myth, retired once and for all: leaving a feeder up will not stop hummingbirds from migrating. The urge to leave is triggered by day length, not food supply. A late feeder only helps the stragglers — so when in doubt, leave it up two weeks past your last sighting.