Hummingbird Migration in Utah: 2026 Timing
Arrivals ~April 12 · peak departure ~September 5 · feeders down ~October 14.
Departure underway — stragglers through September 30The Utah hummingbird season at a glance
Live · updates dailyWasatch canyon feeders run four-species free-for-alls in early August — the two-week overlap of breeders and migrants is Utah's peak.
Hummingbird dates for your exact ZIP
The dates above are for Utah as a whole. Enter a ZIP code for the arrival, departure and feeder dates at that location:
How the Utah season unfolds
Arrival · April 12 males first
Adult males arrive ahead of females to claim territory. Have feeders out 1–2 weeks before April 12 — the earliest birds arrive depleted, and a ready feeder can anchor them to your yard for the season.
Nesting · May 1 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 10–September 5 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 September 30 stragglers
Juveniles and late movers trickle through until September 30. Leave feeders up until October 14 — about two weeks past the typical last bird — as a refueling stop for stragglers.
Hummingbird species in Utah
| Species | Status in Utah |
|---|---|
| Broad-tailed & Black-chinned | breeding |
| Rufous & Calliope | late-summer migrants |
The West runs a relay of species rather than a single act — resident breeders hold territories while rufous and calliope migrants pour through on the Rocky Mountain corridor in late summer, briefly stacking three or four species at one feeder.
Feeding Utah’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 31 (about two weeks before first arrivals); take them down around October 14. Migration runs on day length, so a feeder never delays a bird.
Your Utah feeder calendar
Every date below is computed from Utah’s own arrival and departure anchors — no generic advice, these are your dates:
| Feeder task | Typical Utah date | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| Hang feeders | March 31 | ~2 weeks before first arrivals (April 12) — early males arrive depleted |
| Expect the nesting lull | May 1 onward | Females switch to insects; traffic dips but the birds haven’t left |
| Add a second feeder | July 27 | ~2 weeks before departures begin — migrants stack on top of locals |
| Peak nectar demand | August 10 – September 5 | Birds double body weight for the trip; busy yards drain a feeder daily |
| Take feeders down | October 14 | ~2 weeks after the last stragglers (September 30) |
Plant a yard in Utah they’ll fight over
Feeders are the appetizer; flowers and the small insects they attract are the meal. These western natives carry a yard through the August 10–September 30 migration crush:
- Penstemon (beardtongue)
- Salvia and autumn sage
- Scarlet gilia
- Agastache (hummingbird mint)
- Desert willow / ocotillo (Southwest)
Skip pesticides where you can — hummingbirds feed heavily on gnats, fruit flies, and spiders, especially females raising young.
Utah hummingbird FAQ
The rest of your backyard season
More Rockies 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 →