Hummingbirds' Fall Migration

Hummingbirds fly more than 5,000 miles per year, from Central Mexico to Alaska and back. You can look for them here in New Mexico in July to early fall as they make their annual circuit of the West. The epic migration of hummingbirds starts in autumn, and it reminds us of the remarkable journey these tiny birds take each year. 

Here in New Mexico, the importance of appropriate food to fuel their journey is pivotal for their trip, and to their existence in our state. To sustain their supercharged metabolisms, hummingbirds must eat once every 10 to 15 minutes and visit between 1,000 and 2,000 flowers per day.

We get many questions from folks wondering if the hummers are gone or about to leave. Don't take your feeders down yet... leave them up as those migrating through and local stragglers need all the help they can get!

Our rule of thumb is to keep feeders out until it’s been at least 2 weeks since you’ve seen your last hummingbird. We have hummers in Santa Fe through August and September, much into October and we have even had a report or two of a hummer spotted the first week of November.

Fun Hummingbird Facts!

* Hummingbirds belong to the family Trochilidae, which means “small bird.”
* Hummingbirds are the 2nd largest family of birds with 343 species, and are only found in the Americas.
* Their migration routes are called nectar corridors.
* On average, hummingbirds flap 50 times per second, but during courtship, they can flap up to 200 times a second.
* Normal flight speed is 25-30 mph, but they can dive up to 60 mph.
* Their tiny feet are only good for perching. If they want to travel even a couple inches they must fly! They can fly up, down, right, left, backwards, and even upside-down!
* Hummingbirds eat every 10 minutes, consuming over twice their weight in nectar and insects every day.
* They eat between 3.14 and 7.6 calories a day. That may not seem like much, but if humans (who may eat 3,500 calories a day) had the metabolism of a hummingbird, they would have to consume approximately 155,000 calories a day. That's about 77 times as much as most humans eat!
* On average, they weigh about as much as a single penny!
* They lay 2 eggs that are 1/2 inch long (small jelly bean), and their nests are about the size of half a walnut shell!
* The average lifespan of hummingbirds in the wild is 3-6 years, though the record is over 12 years.

- Source, Audubon.org.