The post When to Expect Hummingbirds to Return to Wisconsin appeared first on A-Z Animals.
Hummingbirds are delightful little birds to spot in your summer garden. With their vibrant colors and fast-moving wings, they can brighten up any yard. When do hummingbirds return to Wisconsin, and how can you attract them to your yard? Let’s find out.
What is the Most Common Species of Hummingbird Found in Wisconsin, and When Does it Return?
The most common hummingbird in the Midwest is the ruby-throated hummingbird. It’s also the only species of hummingbird that is known to nest east of the Mississippi River. Ruby-throated hummingbirds start making their appearance in Wisconsin in early May. However, you may see some early birds arrive in April.
The males are the first to come, with the females following about a week later. Once the pairs have made it to their breeding grounds, they will mate. But the males don’t stick around for long, leaving the females to build the nest and care for their young on their own.
These beautiful, jewel-colored, tiny birds have the largest breeding range of any other North American bird. By August to September, they begin their migration back to warmer locations.
What Other Types of Hummingbirds Can Be Found in Wisconsin?
The ruby-throated hummingbird is the most common, and the only one to nest in the state, but there are other species of hummingbirds that have been spotted in Wisconsin.
You are more likely to see a rufous hummingbird in your Wisconsin garden in the fall.
©punkbirdr/Shutterstock.com
Rufous Hummingbird. The rufous hummingbird is a hardy little bird that can withstand the cold. If you see a late-season hummingbird in your yard, anytime from October through December, it’s probably a rufous hummingbird making its way from the north to its winter home down south.
Anna’s Hummingbird. Anna’s hummingbirds are usually located on the Pacific Coast and the Southwest. However, sometimes the species has been seen in backyard feeders in Wisconsin.
Allen’s Hummingbird. Another rare species, and perhaps more unlikely to be spotted in Wisconsin than Anna’s hummingbird, is Allen’s hummingbird. These coppery green birds are mainly found on the West Coast and into Mexico.
Other Hummingbirds in Wisconsin. The broad-billed hummingbird and Mexican violetear are two species mainly found in Mexico, but have also been reported in Wisconsin.
How to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Yard?
Many hummingbird feeders are red because hummingbirds are attracted to bright red colors.
©xphotoz/iStock via Getty Images
You can start prepping your garden in April to ready it for the May return of ruby-throated hummingbirds. The National Audubon Society has some tips for creating a hummingbird-friendly yard.
Hummingbirds Need a Lot of Food
Hummingbirds move quickly, and it takes an enormous amount of energy to power those tiny bodies. They eat every 10 to 15 minutes, flitting from 1,000 to 2,000 flowers per day. If you’d like to help the hummingbirds out and also attract them to your yard, plant flowers they are attracted to, and hang hummingbird feeders.
Wisconsin Native Plants That Hummingbirds Love
Hummingbirds are attracted to bright red, orange, and pink flowers. They can get nectar easily from tubular-shaped flowers, but they do like to visit many plants. The following is a sample of native Wisconsin plants that are visited often by hummingbirds, but it is not a complete list.
- Beebalm
- Coral honeysuckle
- Coral bells
- Eastern red columbine
- Milkweed
- Perennial larkspur
- Weigela florida
The Audubon Society recommends grouping plants together that flower at different times. This way, there will always be something blooming to attract hummingbirds.
Hummingbirds are attracted to brightly colored flowers that are full of nectar.
©Vahan Abrahamyan/Shutterstock.com
Add Perches to Your Yard
Hummingbirds like to perch to survey the territory, and also to rest and sleep. A yard with plenty of places for perching helps make for a hummingbird-friendly yard.
Don’t Use Pesticides
Hummingbirds drink nectar, but they also eat insects. They will help rid your yard of pests, but pesticides will harm hummingbirds. They may ingest pesticides from eating poisoned insects or drinking nectar from a flower that has been sprayed with pesticides.
Provide Nectar Feeders
Hummingbirds will flock to nectar feeders filled with dye-free sugar water. If you hang more than one, be sure to hang them apart from each other and out of sight from one another, or one bird may act territorial and prevent others from feeding.
Fill the feeders with a DIY sugar solution or one that you bought, and hang them in the shade. Be sure to change the solution when it gets cloudy. This will need to be done more often during hot weather. Clean your feeders weekly with a vinegar solution. But be sure to rinse out all the vinegar before adding the sugar solution back to the feeder.
Add a Hummingbird Fountain
Hummingbirds will cool down in a bird bath on a hot day. They will also bathe to clean their feathers and bills. Typical bird baths are too deep for hummingbirds. They prefer moving water, such as fountains, misters, and sprinklers. When you choose a hummingbird bath, you will want a feature with shallow, moving water.
Where to Report Your Hummingbird Sightings
You can track hummingbird migration for the current year and report your own sightings through the website, Hummingbird Central. You can also report rare sightings of hummingbirds or other birds to the website, ebird.org, hosted by Cornell University.
The post When to Expect Hummingbirds to Return to Wisconsin appeared first on A-Z Animals.