Should I Take Down My Hummingbird Feeder? When Is Best?

Hummingbirds are a joy to watch as they zip around our gardens with their amazing feats of acrobatics. Although they get most of their nourishment from insects and certain pollinator-friendly plants, hummers can obtain quick energy from sugar-water feeders, too. (This is the hummingbird food recipe that works best.)

Providing these tiny, energetic birds some homemade nectar helps supplement their diets. Plus, you’ll get to enjoy their jewel-like beauty up-close!

In most of the country, hummingbirds head South to warmer climates for the winter. But don’t be too quick to take down feeders. “Keeping your feeder up gives these birds a nice boost of energy as they begin or continue their trips,” says Emma Greig, PhD, Project Leader of Project FeederWatch, at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

If you haven’t noticed any hummers in your garden this past summer, it’s not too late to enjoy their presence. “Fall can be a good time to see hummingbirds, especially if you live in southern locations,” says Greig. “You also can put up a feeder in case any passing hummers need a drink.”

Here’s how to help hummers on their journey South (and throughout the year!):

This is especially important if you haven’t noticed any in your garden this year.

Planting a pollinator garden full of hummingbird favorites, including perennials like cardinal flower, bee balm, and trumpet vine, will keep them coming to your yard, says Greig. You might also plant some of their favorite flowering shrubs include weigela, abelia, and hibiscus.

Hummers prefer feeders near trees and shrubs, where they can perch to observe their surroundings. Make sure it’s placed in a shady, cool spot so your sugar-water solution doesn’t spoil too quickly (and where you can easily get at it to clean and refill it).

Because hummers tend to be territorial, it’s also a good idea to hang a few feeders in your garden so there’s food for everyone!

Mold and bacteria grow quickly in sugar water, so scrub your feeder with a bottle brush and hot water, refilling it every three days. When it’s warmer than 90°F, you may need to clean and change it out every other day. Also, don't bother using red dye in your nectar because it's not necessary and it could be harmful to the birds.

The best hummingbird food recipe is one part sugar to four parts water, but during cold, rainy weather, you can increase it to one part sugar to three parts water.

“It’s not necessary, but it can’t hurt,” says Greig. “Giving them a few extra calories per sip when the weather starts to cool gives them a little boost.”

You should take down your feeder a week or two after you’ve stopped seeing hummingbirds.

If they've stopped coming to your feeder, then clean it and store it for the winter. But don’t fret that you’ve kept it up too long. Birds migrate in response to the amount of daylight. The presence of a feeder won't keep them around.

“Keeping food available doesn’t interfere with migration,” says Greig. “On the contrary, it gives them a nice boost of energy as they begin or continue their trips.”

But if you live in areas such as Southern Texas, the Gulf Coast, Florida, Arizona, or some parts of the Pacific Northwest, you might not want to take it down at all. Some types of hummingbirds may stick around all winter and it’s fine to leave your hummingbird feeder up all year long, says Greig.

As long as you follow the same rules for keeping feeders clean and changing the sugar-water every few days, the birds will be fine.

Put your feeders out again next year in mid- to late spring, as early as March, or as soon as you start to see hummingbirds buzzing around. But change the sugar water regularly so it’s fresh when they do show up, says Greig.

Interestingly, some hummingbirds come back to the same yards year after year, so you may be welcoming back some old friends!

Expert consulted:Emma Greig, PhD

Since 2013, Dr. Greig has been Project Leader of Project FeederWatch, at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which has been crowdsourcing information on birds from people who feed birds in their backyards for over 30 years. Prior to joining the FeederWatch team, Emma was a postdoctoral associate in Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Emma holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and has studied birds in Australia, Malaysia, and Hawaii.