Hummingbirds are some of the most fascinating birds, captivating people with their beauty and aerial acrobatics. These tiny birds beat their wings up to 80 times per second, allowing them to hover in midair and fly backwards. Their migration is one of nature’s great wonders.
Do hummingbirds migrate?
Yes, most hummingbirds that breed in the United States and Canada migrate south in the fall to spend the winter in Mexico, Central America, South America, or the Caribbean islands. Migration allows hummingbirds to take advantage of flower resources, insects, and suitable climates year-round. Only a few hummingbird species, like Anna’s and Rufous Hummingbirds on the Pacific Coast, have some individuals that remain year-round in the breeding range.
Why do hummingbirds migrate?
Hummingbirds migrate to take advantage of optimal resources across a large geographic area. The key factors influencing hummingbird migration are:
- Food availability – Hummingbirds feed on flower nectar and insects. The plants that provide nectar sources in breeding areas often die back or go dormant in winter. And cold temperatures decrease insect activity. Migrating allows access to flowering plants and active insects year-round.
- Climate – Many hummingbird species cannot survive cold winter temperatures in their breeding range. Migrating to the tropics provides warm, favorable conditions in winter.
- Breeding habitat – Hummingbirds occupy diverse breeding habitats like meadows, woodland edges, and mountain areas that sustain their breeding needs with flowering plants and nesting sites. These habitats may not provide enough food resources outside the breeding season.
- Competition – Migration reduces competition for limited food resources in breeding habitats during winter when fewer flower and insect food sources are available.
By traveling south in winter, hummingbirds can find the resources they need to thrive at all stages of their annual cycle. The long migrations allow access to proper breeding habitat as well as wintering grounds with plentiful food supplies and appropriate climate conditions.
Where do the hummingbirds that breed in Ohio migrate to?
Most of the hummingbirds breeding in Ohio migrate across the Gulf of Mexico in fall to reach Mexico, Central America, and northern South America for the winter. Research using banding results and stable isotope analysis shows the following wintering grounds for hummingbird species that occupy Ohio:
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird – Southern Mexico to Panama
- Rufous Hummingbird – Mexico to Central America
- Calliope Hummingbird – Mexico
- Allen’s Hummingbird – Mexico
- Broad-tailed Hummingbird – Mexico
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the most common species seen in Ohio and undertakes an incredible nonstop, 600 mile journey across the Gulf of Mexico each fall and spring. Some Rufous Hummingbirds also migrate through Ohio between breeding grounds in the Pacific Northwest and wintering grounds in Mexico.
Do any hummingbirds stay in Ohio in winter?
No, Ohio is too cold in winter for any hummingbirds to permanently stay year-round. Nearly all hummingbirds migrate out of Ohio by late fall, typically by early-to-mid November. However, occasional winter sightings of hummingbirds still occur in the state.
These winter hummingbirds are likely tardy young birds migrating for the first time that linger into December or January. Some may be blown off course by storms during fall migration and survive briefly on feeders. There are no verified cases of hummingbirds surviving Ohio’s winter cold. But with global warming, wintering hummingbirds may become more regular in future years.
When do hummingbirds migrate out of Ohio?
Most hummingbirds leave Ohio in September and October. Here are the typical migration departure periods for common species:
Species | Fall Migration Period |
---|---|
Ruby-throated Hummingbird | Mid August – late September |
Rufous Hummingbird | Mid September – early November |
Calliope Hummingbird | Early September – mid October |
Young hummingbirds migrate first, followed by adult females and older males. The southbound migration happens over a period of several weeks for each species. Food availability and cold temperatures drive hummingbirds to depart Ohio in fall and head to southern wintering grounds.
What is the hummingbird migration route through Ohio?
Ohio lies along the main interior migration route used by hummingbirds traveling from breeding areas to the east and north. The key features of this migration route include:
- Direction – From northeast to southwest through Ohio
- Path – Hummingbirds follow an overland route south through Ohio, crossing the Appalachians and circumventing the Gulf Coast
- Geographic funnel – Ohio’s location funnels east coast birds west and Great Lakes birds south
- Mississippi River – An important landmark guiding hummingbirds south to the Gulf of Mexico
- Gulf crossing – Ruby-throats and other species fly nonstop 500-600 miles across the Gulf of Mexico to Mexico and Central America
This interior route through Ohio provides a relatively direct migration path south without major ecological barriers. Abundant flower resources along the route provide fueling stops for the small birds. Banding research confirms heavy use of the Ohio flyway by hummingbird populations breeding north and east.
How do hummingbirds know when to migrate?
Hummingbirds appear to rely on a combination of internal circannual rhythms and external cues to guide their migration timing. These may include:
- Circannual rhythms – Internal cycles synchronized with seasonal changes likely control broad migration timing on an annual schedule.
- Photoperiod – Changing day length helps signal preparation for migration and stimulates pre-migratory weight gain.
- Weather – Cues like temperatures, wind conditions, and food availability may fine-tune migration timing.
- Orientation – Hummingbirds use celestial cues from the sun and stars for navigation during migration.
- Experience – Older birds may have learned specific cues along migration routes to guide timing.
The combination of internal cycles and external factors allows hummingbirds to migrate at optimal times in spring and fall between breeding and wintering grounds. Flexibility in timing also lets them adapt to changing environmental conditions between years.
How do hummingbirds navigate during migration?
Hummingbirds perform incredible navigational feats to migrate successfully between their breeding and wintering grounds. Some of their navigation strategies include:
- Visual landmarks – Mountain ranges, coastlines, rivers, and vegetation provide landmarks during migration.
- Celestial cues – The sun and patterns of stars give directional information during day and night.
- Internal compass – Hummingbirds may sense magnetic fields like a compass to determine direction.
- Mental maps – With experience, birds may develop detailed mental maps of routes and landmarks.
Hummingbirds migrating alone over hundreds or thousands of miles face the challenge of navigation over unfamiliar terrain. Their tiny bodies can only store limited energy reserves to power their journey. Orientation mechanisms like visual guiding, sun compass orientation, and geomagnetic senses give them critical navigational tools to locate favorable routes and habitat efficiently.
How do hummingbirds know where to migrate to?
Young hummingbirds undertake their first migration guided by genetic programs directing them to ancestral wintering areas. With experience over successive journeys, older birds develop detailed mental maps of the migration routes, stopover sites, and target destinations. Several processes may guide hummingbirds’ wintering destination:
- Innate orientation – Young birds have an innate compass direction genetically directing them south.
- Social learning – Migration routes and destinations may be learned from older birds.
- Environmental cuing – Landforms, resource distribution, and weather patterns may cue appropriate winter sites.
- Navigation memory – Experienced birds remember specific routes, landmarks, and destination areas.
Remarkably, hummingbirds as young as a few months old can navigate thousands of miles with no prior experience to reach ancestral tropical wintering grounds. Over time, individual experience fine-tunes their migratory precision and timing.
How do hummingbirds prepare for migration?
Hummingbirds make several key physiological and behavioral changes to prepare for migration:
- Hyperphagia – Birds eat voraciously to store fat needed to fuel migration. Fat may increase from 4% of body weight to over 20%.
- Pre-migratory molt – Old feathers are replaced with fresh plumage before migration.
- Fat deposition – Large fat stores and a shrunken digestive system are developed pre-migration.
- Nocturnal restlessness – Increased night activity indicates readiness for prolonged flights.
- Orientation – Birds may exhibit directed pre-migratory movements as departure nears.
This preparation allows hummingbirds to enter migration in optimal condition to endure the long-distance travel and minimize time spent refueling along the route. The pre-migratory hyperphagia is critical for building the fat stores providing energy for flight.
How do hummingbirds behave during migration?
During migration, hummingbirds display fascinating behavioral adaptations that support their extreme endurance flights:
- Solitary migration – Hummingbirds migrate individually, not in flocks, even though thousands may be passing through an area.
- Daytime flying – Most migration happens during daylight when nectar sources are available for refueling.
- Intermittent flights – Periods of flight lasting a few hours alternate with stopovers to rest and feed.
- Fat burning – Hummingbirds generate energy through fat metabolism while flying.
- Torpor – To conserve energy, they may enter a deep sleep state at night or when calorie deprived.
These behaviors reflect adaptations allowing hummingbirds to complete strenuous long-distance journeys over thousands of miles as tiny solo travelers. The intermittent flights and torpor are key strategies to preserve limited physiological resources and energy stores during migration.
How far do hummingbirds migrate on a given day?
Hummingbirds may cover 20-40 miles on a typical day of migration, but are capable of incredible long-distance flights spanning hundreds of miles:
- Short flights – Many only fly 20-30 miles at a time, stopping to rest and feed.
- Day flights – Daily flights range from 30-250 miles depending on conditions.
- Nonstop flights – Ruby-throats can fly 600 miles nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico.
- Rufous hummingbirds – Some fly 2,000 miles nonstop from Alaska to Mexico.
Most daily flights cover relatively short distances of a few tens of miles. But hummingbirds are physiologically adapted for extreme endurance exercise, and can fly hundreds of miles nonstop given enough pre-flight fat reserves. These feats demonstrate their exceptional capabilities as avian athletes.
What are the biggest dangers hummingbirds face during migration?
Hummingbirds encounter many threats during their migration journeys, including:
- Food shortages – Lack of nectar plants at stopover sites can leave birds starved and energy depleted.
- Weather – Storms, high winds, and temperature extremes may force exhausted birds down early or off course.
- Water barriers – Crossing the Gulf of Mexico and other water bodies poses risks for small birds.
- Habitat loss – Development and urbanization reduce crucial migration habitats and resources.
- Collisions – Hummingbirds often collide with buildings, towers, and other structures during migration.
- Predators – Birds of prey and other predators may opportunistically target migrating hummingbirds.
The extreme physiological demands of migration leave hummingbirds vulnerable. Lack of stopover food sources, hazardous weather, geographic barriers, human structures, and predators all contribute risks that may cost hummingbirds their chances of completing migration safely to wintering grounds.
Conclusion
In conclusion, nearly all hummingbirds that breed in Ohio undertake a strenuous annual migration south out of the state to reach warm wintering habitats with sufficient food. The long journey south follows established overland routes and guiding landmarks, reaching as far as Central America. While hummingbirds migrate solo and cover the journey in multiple short flights, they are capable of incredible nonstop endurance flights spanning hundreds of miles. Undertaking migration requires complex physiological preparation and navigational capabilities to traverse the long route through unfamiliar areas. While hummingbirds pass through Ohio in impressive numbers, none remain through the state’s cold winters. Their disappearance by November reflects the seasonal migration strategy that allows hummingbirds to thrive across a range of environments throughout the annual cycle.