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

ByScott
5 Comments

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

 

At the end of every summer, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (the only common species in the province) depart Manitoba 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 Manitoba?

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 Manitoba.

 

This means that most hummingbirds leave Manitoba 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 Manitoba 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 Manitoba 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 Manitoba 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 Manitoba?

 

Let us know in the COMMENTS section below!

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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5 Comments

  1. Thank you, that is exactly what I was looking for. I didn’t want to leave the feeder up and encourage them to stay longer than necessary.

    Reply

    1. Winnipeg. September 15, 2025 they still here. The last year they left Sept.16.
      In my garden they hardly use any feeders, but I plant a lot of plants they delight in. Maybe unfortunately for them, but to my amusement, they engage into regular war over certain plants, often one lurking nearby and waiting for another one to come. I saw it flying to warbler and to squirrel and it even took me as an intruder. Very combative! And it is not because there is a shortage of plants!
      One issue that I want to bring to attention is these plastic feeders! The grow mould much faster than glass. Besides that they are not recyclable and when placed in the sunlight and washed in hot water it wont take long before they begin to disintegrate releasing tiny pieces of micro-plastic.
      Will miss the humms – it is long winter wait. Happy bird watching! Thank you

      Reply