Hummingbirds are amazing little birds that captivate people with their beauty and aerial acrobatics. These tiny birds make an incredible journey each year, migrating hundreds or even thousands of miles between their summer breeding grounds and winter homes. For hummingbirds that spend their summers in Maine, their migration is especially impressive.
Do hummingbirds migrate from Maine?
Yes, hummingbirds definitely migrate from Maine for the winter. Maine is too cold and snowy in winter to support hummingbirds, which need regular access to nectar-producing flowers and insect prey. The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only species of hummingbird regularly found in Maine during summer. By late September or early October, ruby-throats have departed Maine and traveled to southern locales like Mexico, Central America, and Florida to spend the winter.
Why do hummingbirds migrate such long distances?
Hummingbirds migrate incredible distances because they are following the seasonal abundance of flower nectar and insect prey. Hummingbirds need lots of energy and cannot survive cold winters with limited food. Their tiny bodies have high metabolisms and can burn up to 10 times their body weight in calories per day. Hummingbirds must consume half their weight in nectar daily to survive! They also eat many small insects for key proteins.
To fuel their long migrations, hummingbirds nearly double their body mass in the weeks leading up to migration, adding lots of fat reserves. This allows them to fly nonstop over the Gulf of Mexico or other barriers.
What is the typical migration route for Maine hummingbirds?
Most ruby-throated hummingbirds that breed in Maine funnel south towards the Gulf Coast for the winter. Their migrations generally follow predictable routes:
- August to September – Maine hummingbirds start migrating south through the Eastern United States. They may stop to rest and refuel in gardens, parks, and other habitats along the Atlantic coast and Appalachian mountains.
- Late September to October – The bulk of the migration happens as Maine hummers travel across the Gulf of Mexico, nonstop over 500-600 miles of open water, to reach Mexico and Central America.
- October to March – The hummingbirds spend the winter in Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and other tropical locales boasting warm weather and flowering plants.
- March to May – They make the return migration back to Maine, refueling in the Gulf Coast, Southeast, and mid-Atlantic states.
However, some individual hummingbirds may follow alternative migration routes outside this typical pattern.
How many miles do Maine hummingbirds migrate?
On average, ruby-throated hummingbirds that breed in Maine migrate about 2,000 to 2,500 miles between their summer and winter homes. However, the exact migration distance can vary depending on the individual bird’s movements.
Here are estimated one-way migration distances from Maine to common wintering grounds:
| Winter Destination | Approximate Distance |
|---|---|
| Southern Mexico | 2,500 miles |
| Panama | 2,800 miles |
| Costa Rica | 3,000 miles |
As the table shows, a hummingbird wintering in Costa Rica has an astonishing round trip of about 6,000 miles!
What is the longest distance a hummingbird has been recorded migrating?
The longest recorded migration by a ruby-throated hummingbird was an incredible 4,300 miles! This epic journey was made by a female hummingbird named Belle, from Vermont to Costa Rica.
Belle was fitted with a tiny tracking device that traced her route over 12 countries in 24 travel days. She averaged nearly 180 miles of migration per day. This demonstrates the incredible flying stamina of hummingbirds on their marathon migrations.
Do any hummingbirds stay year-round in Maine?
There are essentially no verified records of ruby-throated hummingbirds successfully overwintering in Maine. While a hardy individual may attempt it, Maine’s harsh winters make winter survival nearly impossible for hummingbirds due to lack of food.
However, a few Anna’s hummingbirds have overwintered along the Maine coast in very recent years. Anna’s hummingbirds are western species that have slowly expanded east. They may be better equipped to handle cold weather than ruby-throats. But overwintering in Maine is still extremely rare and challenging for Anna’s hummingbirds.
Why do the hummingbirds always return to the same northern breeding grounds?
It’s amazing that these tiny hummingbirds can faithfully return to the same breeding grounds, often even the exact same yards and gardens, year after year. How do they do it?
Hummingbirds appear to have excellent memories and navigation skills. They can remember locations, food sources, and other familiar landmarks from previous journeys. Scientists believe hummingbirds use the sun as a compass, visual cues, and geomagnetic signals to navigate their migrations.
Fidelity to successful breeding locations is likely an adaptive advantage. Returning to a productive breeding site where food, shelter, and mating opportunities are known increases chances of reproductive success. The incredible navigation capacity of hummingbirds allows this homing behavior to evolve.
How can I attract migrating hummingbirds to my yard?
You can make your yard an appealing place for migrating hummingbirds in spring and fall by providing their key needs:
- Nectar-rich flowers – Plant tubular red flowers and flowering vines attractive to hummingbirds.
- Fresh nectar – Keep feeders clean and filled with fresh sugar-water mixture.
- Water – Add a hummingbird bath or water mister for drinking and bathing.
- Cover – Provide trees, shrubs, and other shelter from weather and predators.
Here are some great plants to attract migrating hummingbirds to your yard:
| Plant | Bloom Time |
|---|---|
| Trumpet Creeper | Summer to Fall |
| Bee Balm | Summer |
| Cardinal Flower | Late Summer |
| Fuchsia | Summer to Fall |
Conclusion
The migration of Maine’s tiny hummingbirds covers an immense distance each year as they travel between their breeding and wintering grounds. These marathon flyers complete an awe-inspiring round trip of up to 6,000 miles annually! Their navigational abilities and endurance allow them to find their way over vast distances between the flower-filled meadows of Maine and warm winter havens further south.
