Hummingbird Migration in Missouri: 2026 Timing
Arrivals ~April 8 · peak departure ~September 18 · feeders down ~October 26.
Departure underway — stragglers through October 12The Missouri hummingbird season at a glance
Live · updates dailyMissouri's answer to "when do they leave": the third week of September, with Ozark valleys holding stragglers into October.
Hummingbird dates for your exact ZIP
The dates above are for Missouri as a whole. Enter a ZIP code for the arrival, departure and feeder dates at that location:
How the Missouri season unfolds
Arrival · April 8 males first
Adult males arrive ahead of females to claim territory. Have feeders out 1–2 weeks before April 8 — the earliest birds arrive depleted, and a ready feeder can anchor them to your yard for the season.
Nesting · April 25 onward quiet weeks
Feeder traffic often dips while females nest — they're eating small insects for protein and staying close to the nest. The birds haven't left; they're busy. Keep nectar fresh through the lull.
The rush · August 25–September 18 peak chaos
The best feeder weeks of the year: local families plus southbound migrants stack up together, all trying to double their body weight for the trip. A busy yard can drain a feeder daily. Adult males slip out first.
Last calls · through October 12 stragglers
Juveniles and late movers trickle through until October 12. Leave feeders up until October 26 — about two weeks past the typical last bird — as a refueling stop for stragglers.
Hummingbird species in Missouri
| Species | Status in Missouri |
|---|---|
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird | breeding, April–October |
East of the Great Plains, the ruby-throated hummingbird carries the entire show — the only breeding hummingbird in the eastern US, wintering in Mexico and Central America, with many crossing the Gulf of Mexico in a single 18–22 hour nonstop flight.
Feeding Missouri’s hummingbirds, done right
The only recipe
1 part white sugar : 4 parts water. Nothing else — no red dye, no honey (it ferments into toxins), no substitutes. Red on the feeder does the attracting.
Keep it clean
Change nectar every 2–3 days in warm weather and rinse with hot water each refill. Cloudy nectar or black mold can be lethal — when in doubt, dump it.
The calendar
Hang feeders around March 27 (about two weeks before first arrivals); take them down around October 26. Migration runs on day length, so a feeder never delays a bird.
Your Missouri feeder calendar
Every date below is computed from Missouri’s own arrival and departure anchors — no generic advice, these are your dates:
| Feeder task | Typical Missouri date | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| Hang feeders | March 27 | ~2 weeks before first arrivals (April 8) — early males arrive depleted |
| Expect the nesting lull | April 25 onward | Females switch to insects; traffic dips but the birds haven’t left |
| Add a second feeder | August 11 | ~2 weeks before departures begin — migrants stack on top of locals |
| Peak nectar demand | August 25 – September 18 | Birds double body weight for the trip; busy yards drain a feeder daily |
| Take feeders down | October 26 | ~2 weeks after the last stragglers (October 12) |
Plant a yard in Missouri they’ll fight over
Feeders are the appetizer; flowers and the small insects they attract are the meal. These eastern natives carry a yard through the August 25–October 12 migration crush:
- Jewelweed (the #1 wild migration fuel)
- Cardinal flower
- Bee balm (Monarda)
- Trumpet honeysuckle
- Salvia — annual and perennial
Skip pesticides where you can — hummingbirds feed heavily on gnats, fruit flies, and spiders, especially females raising young.
Missouri hummingbird FAQ
The rest of your backyard season
More Midwest hummingbird timing
Windows compiled from Journey North citizen-science records, eBird seasonal abundance, and Audubon/USFWS range data; individual years shift ±1–2 weeks with weather. National picture: where the birds are right now →