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

ByScott
20 Comments

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

 

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

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 Ontario.

 

This means that most hummingbirds leave Ontario 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 Ontario 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 Ontario 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 Ontario 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 Ontario?

 

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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20 Comments

  1. I came here especially to find out when to take down my feeders as I haven’t seen any hummers for almost a week but now I will leave them until the end of September in case of stragglers! I’m in Bracebridge Ontario.

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    1. I was in Toronto Botanical Gardens today Oct 3rd and took many easy photographs of a ruby throated hb. I also took some yesterday and will try again tomorrow. You never know!

      Reply

  2. My hummingbird were all gone by September 30 2023. On Oct 03 a very small bird a male showed up and is still here until today Oct 13. I normally leave a feeder up until the end of October hope this one leaves enough time to travel south safely.

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  3. Good info!  I’m curious about this statement though “ At the end of every summer, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (the only common species in the state) depart Ontario”….Ontario is a Province in Canada, not a State in the U.S.

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  4. September 25 and there’s a hummingbird still feeding every day. I am kind of worried about him. I am in southwestern ontario

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  6. I still have one hummingbird that is at my feeder every day. Saw him this morning again. I thought it might be a young one from the family that was here. But in reading your article, it seems he may be a straggler coming down from the north ?

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  9. I live in Hamilton. Today is October 13th,and I still have a hummingbird coming to the feeder every day. I’ve read that I’m not prolonging its migration by leaving the feeder up, but I’m worried this little one seems to be in no hurry to leave.

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  10. It is October 3 in Burlington. I have a hummer who is feeding on my “amante” tropical salvias, which i ordered from a Vancouver nursery. These plants are such a magnet that the birds ignore my feeders for the most part. These plants should be offered more readily by Ontario nurseries. Salvia “amante” is related to Salvia “Amistad.”

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  11. I’ve had about 4 hummers here in Brantford Ontario fighting over the two feeders and drinking almost nonstop for several days during cold rainy weather. This afternoon the sun came out and I haven’t seen any of them. Maybe better traveling weather now.

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  12. Live in Keswick. Just had a hummingbird at my feeder 10 minutes ago. I actually hadn’t seen one in over a week and thought I’d take it down on Oct. 1st, but now with this little fella I guess I better leave it up for another week or two. J

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  14. I’ve had daily visits from hummingbirds all summer, but I didn’t see one yesterday and none so far this morning….maybe they have gone south!

    Reply