Hummingbirds are remarkable little birds that capture the imagination with their diminutive size, stunning iridescent colors, and incredible flying abilities. These tiny avians have specialized needs throughout their lives, from their unique nesting behaviors to their preference for energy-rich nectar.
Baby hummingbirds, also known as nestlings or fledglings, have an especially challenging start to life. Let’s explore the journey of a hummingbird from the egg to leaving the nest, and find out if they ever return to their birthplace.
Hummingbird Nesting and Early Life
Hummingbirds build very small, compact nests to house their eggs and raise their young. The nests are made of soft plant down, spider silk, and lichen, just big enough to cradle the tiny eggs. The female hummingbird lays two pea-sized white eggs, and incubates them for 14-23 days.
Once the chicks hatch, the mother feeds them every few minutes, regurgitating nectar and tiny insects into their mouths. The chicks grow quickly, developing wing feathers in 2-3 weeks. At this stage, they are ready to leave the nest and take their first fledgling flights.
Leaving the Nest
At 18-28 days old, the fledglings will leave the nest, most often in the early morning hours. The first flight is a quick, downward glide to a lower branch or the ground. From there, the young hummingbird needs to build flight muscle and perfect its hovering, feeding, and evasion skills.
This period after leaving the nest is the most dangerous time in a hummingbird’s life. The inexperienced juveniles are easy targets for predators, and face starvation if they cannot master efficient feeding techniques.
Surviving Independence
For the next 3-4 weeks after fledging, the young hummingbird is reliant on the mother. She continues to feed them as they follow her on foraging trips. She protects them fiercely, driving off intruders or predators. By about 6-8 weeks of age, the juvenile hummingbird can independently meet all its nutritional needs.
During this post-nest phase, the fledglings and mother do not return to the original nest. But they may stick close to the nesting territory as the mother shows the young where to find food sources. Other times, they range widely and end up far from the birthplace.
Do Hummingbirds Return to Where They Were Born?
Now that we’ve followed a baby hummingbird from hatching to independence, let’s look at the question of whether they return to their place of birth once fully grown.
Migration Away from Birthplace
Most species of North American hummingbirds are migratory, spending winters in Mexico or Central America. The babies born in a given summer will make this long migration away from their birthplace as their first major journey.
Amazingly, these tiny birds are capable of flying nonstop over the Gulf of Mexico. They migrate alone, not led by parents, finding their way to ancestral wintering grounds they have never seen before.
Site Fidelity and Memory
In spring, hummingbirds display remarkable site fidelity, returning year after year to the same northern breeding grounds. Adult males usually return to the precise territory and even the same feeding locations they held in previous summers.
Females also show homing instincts and may nest close to previous sites. However, they are less territorial and predictable than males when it comes to precise nest placement from year to year.
This site fidelity seems to indicate hummingbirds have excellent spatial memory and rely on cues like topography, landmarks, and geomagnetism to navigate accurately over vast distances.
Dispersal of Young Birds
While adult hummingbirds faithfully return to former breeding sites, that behavior does not carry over to the young birds embarking on their first migrations.
Studies show that juvenile hummingbirds dispersed randomly and did not return to natal sites in subsequent seasons. Banding data reveals the fledglings may wind up hundreds of miles away from where they first learned to fly.
This dispersal of young birds is important ecologically. It allows hummingbirds to find new territories, expand their breeding range, and avoid overcrowding preferred habitats.
Why Don’t Baby Hummingbirds Return Home?
We can summarize the evidence clearly: the majority of hummingbirds do not return to breed where they were born. But why is this the case, when adults show such precise homing ability?
Lack of Initial Navigation Experience
When juvenile hummingbirds first migrate, they have no experience navigating to a particular destination. With no innate knowledge of direction and distance, they end up scattered across their species’ winter range.
Without ever returning to the starting point, the young birds have no opportunity to imprint on cues that would allow a subsequent return trip. With no navigational reference points, they cannot find their way back to the nest location later on.
Advantages of Dispersal
As discussed above, there are ecological advantages to the dispersal of fledglings:
- Allows pioneers to find new suitable habitat as the population expands
- Relieves overcrowding in preferred nesting areas
- Limits competition between generations for the same territory
- Maintains genetic diversity across the range
So while juvenile hummingbirds do not intentionally migrate to new areas, the random scattering helps sustain a healthy overall population structure.
Lack of Pair Bonding
Pair bonding is another factor that likely influences site fidelity. Adult males and females that mate will often return to the same area to breed again in future years. However, young bachelor males have no established partnership ties to a particular female or location.
Do Any Hummingbirds Return to Their Birthplace?
While the majority of hummingbirds appear to nest far from where they were born, exceptions may occur in certain species or populations.
Anna’s Hummingbirds
Anna’s hummingbirds (Calypte anna) are year-round residents across much of their range in the western US. Some evidence indicates juveniles of this species can return to their natal site or nearby locations in subsequent years.
Rufous Hummingbirds
Banding studies show some juvenile male rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) return as breeding adults within several hundred miles of where they fledged. More research is needed, but natal site imprinting may occasionally override innate dispersal in this species.
Island Populations
On isolated islands like those of the Caribbean, fledgling hummingbirds may be unable to disperse far. The small size and geographical boundaries result in a higher rate of return to natal areas in these unique populations.
Summary of Research Findings
In summary, here are the key research findings on whether baby hummingbirds return to their birthplace:
| Do baby hummingbirds return where born? | Explanation |
|---|---|
| No, most do not return to natal site | Juveniles scatter randomly on first migration |
| Yes, some exceptions seen | Certain resident and island species |
| Natal dispersal is the norm | Provides ecological advantages |
| Adults show site fidelity | Return to same nesting areas each year |
| Spatial memory enables homing | Landmark and geomagnetic cues |
Conclusion
Hummingbirds lead fascinating lives, navigating thousands of miles in an endless cycle between breeding and wintering habitats. While adult hummingbirds show impressive homing abilities, research to date indicates most juveniles fail to return to their natal site.
Instead, an innate dispersal tendency sends the young birds scattering across the migratory range, providing ecological benefits. Still, some exceptions suggest certain species or populations may demonstrate natal site fidelity under the right conditions.
Understanding the movement patterns and habitat needs of hummingbirds at all life stages allows us to support conservation of these captivating creatures. Whether returning home or pioneering new nesting grounds, hummingbirds continue to spread their magic across the landscapes they inhabit.
