When Should You Take Down Your Hummingbird Feeder for the Season?

Find out when to take down hummingbird feeders, or if you can leave them up in winter, according to an expert.

Summer has ended and with it, peak hummingbird feeding season. So exactly when should you take down your hummingbird feeder and bring it in for the winter ? The answer depends on where you live.

Hummingbirds migrate to warmer climates for the winter as temperatures fall. But some species of hummingbirds overwinter in areas of the United States with mild winters, specifically the coastal regions of the Pacific states, the Southwest, the Gulf Coast, Florida, and much of the Southeast. Here's what you should know about when to take down your hummingbird feeder, or if you need to stop feeding hummers in winter at all, according to a bird expert.

Chad Witko is the senior coordinator for avian biology at the National Audubon Society.

Related: The 12 Best Hummingbird Feeders of 2024 to Attract Feathered Friends to Your Yard

When to Stop Feeding Hummingbirds

You can leave your feeder up year-round in warmer areas where hummingbirds overwinter. In other parts of the country where winters are a deep freeze, you can leave feeders up through fall and even into winter to catch stragglers who may leave late for their migration.

“Generally, you can keep your feeders out as long hummingbirds are around ,” says Chad Witko, senior coordinator for avian biology at the National Audubon Society. In colder parts of the country where hummingbirds migrate to escape winter, it’s typical to stop feeding hummingbirds in the fall after a few weeks of no bird sightings, Witko says.

“However, leaving feeders up through late fall and even early winter in other parts of the U.S. and Canada can be helpful if a wayward hummingbird shows up.” He says sometimes hummers take off on their migratory trip late and a feeder can provide them with a boost of nutrition. These tiny birds fly thousands of miles on their annual migration, and they burn a lot of energy to get there.

Audubon's Bird Migration Explorer online helps you see when hummingbirds arrive and depart from your area. This can give you guidance on when to put out a feeder and when to take it down for the season.

Feeding Hummingbirds in Winter

Serious birders often keep their hummingbird feeders up year-round in hopes of seeing rare winter hummers. “Many of the rare hummingbird sightings for a given state come from vagrant birds visiting feeders that have been left up,” Witko says.

“Vagrant birds” is ornithologist-speak for birds that, for whatever reason, are outside their typical wintering or breeding area. Witkso says he has seen a rufous hummingbird, a western species that usually spends winters in Mexico, visiting a feeder in December in Massachusetts.

Other winter hummingbird sightings Witko has documented include Anna's hummingbirds in coastal Washington; Anna's, Allen's and Costa’s hummingbirds in Los Angeles; and ruby-throated, black-chinned, calliope, rufous, and buff-bellied hummingbirds in New Orleans. Don’t worry, keeping hummingbird feeders up all year won’t keep hummers in a place that’s too cold for them, Witko says. “Providing nectar won't stop them from migrating.”

More Hummers Are Not Migrating

There have been increased hummingbird sightings over the winter in the Southeastern U.S. and along the Eastern Seaboard, Witko says. The warming temperatures caused by climate change are a significant factor in this trend because milder winters are making it possible for the flowering plants that provide nectar to the hummers to bloom longer. Bird-friendly gardeners may be contributing to changed ranges for hummingbirds, too.

“The apparent increase in native and ornamental plantings, particularly along the Gulf and Atlantic seaboard, may help hummingbirds persist in these areas,” Witko says. He says more birders with more feeders are a factor in these increased hummer sightings, too. “As more people actively watch and document hummingbirds, more are likely to be observed.”

Keep Cleaning Your Feeder Weekly

Sugar water will stay fresh longer in the winter, but feeders still should be cleaned weekly —or every few days during a warm spell—using hot water and a bottle brush, Witko says “Soap should be avoided,” he adds. Witko also says to be sure to use the correct nectar solution: one part cane sugar dissolved into four parts water.

“Red dye is not needed and can be avoided,” he says. Each time you empty and clean the feeder, refill it with fresh nectar . To prevent nectar from freezing, bring the feeder indoors on cold winter nights, Witko says, and swap it out with fresh nectar or a second feeder as temperatures dictate.

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