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

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

 

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

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 Michigan.

 

This means that most hummingbirds leave Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan 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 Michigan?

 

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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8 Comments

  1. Saw one yesterday, Oct. 3, and it prompted me to put out fresh nectar (sugar water). Just saw another one this morning…really got me curious now.  Taylor, MI

    Reply

  3. I have 3 regulars at my feeder, and I still have 3 regulars here the 22 of September. I’m concerned that climate change is
    messing up their signals. There aren’t a lot of insects around, or nectar flowers.

    Reply

  5. Saw hummingbirds at the feeder on September 14, 2023. Feeder is still up, good to know to keep it up for a couple of weeks, just in case. I live west of Ann Arbor in Sylvan Township.

    Reply

  7. In Ganges Michigan the last date we saw a hummingbird was October 2nd 2022. My wife did see one as late as October 6th at her mothers house in South Haven, Michigan

    Reply