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Here’s when hummingbirds leave Connecticut! (to migrate south)

ByScott
45 Comments

Unfortunately, hummingbirds don’t live in Connecticut year-round. 🙁

At the end of every summer, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (the only common species in the state) depart Connecticut to migrate south to southern Mexico and Central America. They spend the winter here in the warm weather before coming back next spring!

So when exactly do hummingbirds leave Connecticut?

when do hummingbirds leave

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds start their southward migration once their breeding season ends. It’s believed that they can sense the changes in the reduced number of daylight hours, flowers, and insects, which triggers their instinct to leave Connecticut.

This means that most hummingbirds leave Connecticut by the end of August or early September. By mid-September, almost all birds are gone, and they won’t return again until spring.

But keep your eyes open for any hummingbirds that started their migration late. It’s not uncommon to see a straggler passing through Connecticut towards the end of September, especially if they started their migration from much higher north!

I’m guessing that the reason you wanted to know when hummingbirds leave Connecticut is that you were curious when you can put away your feeders for the winter?

Here’s what I always recommend:

Don’t take down your feeders until you haven’t seen a hummingbird for TWO weeks.

hummingbirds leaving

Once that happens, you can be very confident that almost all the hummingbirds in Connecticut have left for the year!

Trust me; you definitely don’t want to take away the nectar in your yard too early. Hummingbirds migrate a LONG way and need lots of ENERGY, which you can hopefully provide to them.

When do you normally see the last hummingbirds leave Connecticut?

Let us know in the COMMENTS section below!

When Do Hummingbirds Return to Connecticut? (Get your feeders ready!)

Scott is the creator of Bird Watching HQ. His goal is to inspire you to care more about the birds and wildlife in YOUR backyard. Over the past 5 years, he has been focused on improving the habitat in his own yard by doing things like adding native plants, not using pesticides, etc. He is happy to report that over 50 species of birds have now been seen on his 1.5-acre property (that's in a suburban neighborhood). Learn more about Scott on his About page. And make sure to check out his LIVE bird cameras.

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45 Comments

  9. Here in Hamden and still 9/24/23 have two hummingbirds feeding. I am worried for them. I keep feeding them but hope they flee before it is too cold for them.

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  10. It’s 9/23/23 and I have still have 2 female hummingbirds coming to my feeders. I don’t recall having hummingbirds this late in the month. I’m in Seymour, Ct.

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  11. It’s 9/23/23 in Seymour Ct and I still have 2 females coming to my feeders. This is the latest I’ve seen hummingbirds in my yard.

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  15. I’ve seen them daily and I just saw 2 hummingbirds at my feeders today 9/22/2023 10am and 3pm…keep those feeders going as long as you can! 🙂

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  24. Latest I’ve seen was last year Sept. 21 st. However,, I have a lot of birds feeding constantly in the last couple weeks. Wonder if they are getting ready to go already ??

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  25. Hi I noticed in the middle of August I didn’t see any more hummingbirds. This summer I had at least 5 or more, even a little one. I love my hummingbirds and I know they love me too. They came right up to our screen door. I had one who loved the firecracker plants and stayed right next to me. It was was awesome!!!!! 🙂 They are beautiful. I make sure every summer my feeders are filled with the sugar water and they love it. I’m glad I reached to you. Thank you so much for answering my question. sue 🐝

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