Fall Migration Has Started for One of Your Favorite Backyard Birds

Enjoy the colorful hummingbirds zipping around your backyard while you can. The fall migration is about to start for the beloved ruby-throated hummingbirds that frequent the central and eastern portions of the U.S. during the warm summer months. Here is a look at this migration pattern.

Migration Underway for the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

The ruby-throated hummingbirds are about to embark on their annual fall migration in search of warmer climates. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the birds typically migrate south across North America between March and May, spending the warmer months flitting around backyards.

The birds then head south again when the temperatures start to drop in North America, seeking warmer weather in Central and South America. Some of the birds that had been living in the northern reaches of the U.S. have already started their journey to the south. The migration will be in full swing by the end of September as the cooler temperatures settle in across the U.S.

By the beginning of October, the birds may only be hanging around the immediate portions of the Gulf Coast. Most of the ruby-throated hummingbirds will have left the mainland U.S. by the end of October in search of warmer and sunnier weather.

As their name implies, the ruby-throated hummingbird is distinguished by the plume of red feathers below the beak. However, only males have the ruby-feathered throat. Females and juvenile hummingbirds have a white throat.