Hummingbird Migration in Wyoming: 2026 Timing
Arrivals ~May 1 · peak departure ~August 28 · feeders down ~October 5.
Season complete — next arrivals ~May 1The Wyoming hummingbird season at a glance
Live · updates dailyWyoming's mountain meadows host a brief, intense season — by Labor Day the paintbrush is done and so are the hummingbirds.
Hummingbird dates for your exact ZIP
The dates above are for Wyoming as a whole. Enter a ZIP code for the arrival, departure and feeder dates at that location:
How the Wyoming season unfolds
Arrival · May 1 males first
Adult males arrive ahead of females to claim territory. Have feeders out 1–2 weeks before May 1 — the earliest birds arrive depleted, and a ready feeder can anchor them to your yard for the season.
Nesting · May 18 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 5–August 28 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 20 stragglers
Juveniles and late movers trickle through until September 20. Leave feeders up until October 5 — about two weeks past the typical last bird — as a refueling stop for stragglers.
Hummingbird species in Wyoming
| Species | Status in Wyoming |
|---|---|
| Broad-tailed Hummingbird | breeding, May–September |
| Rufous & Calliope | southbound migrants, July–September |
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 Wyoming’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 April 19 (about two weeks before first arrivals); take them down around October 5. Migration runs on day length, so a feeder never delays a bird.
Your Wyoming feeder calendar
Every date below is computed from Wyoming’s own arrival and departure anchors — no generic advice, these are your dates:
| Feeder task | Typical Wyoming date | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| Hang feeders | April 19 | ~2 weeks before first arrivals (May 1) — early males arrive depleted |
| Expect the nesting lull | May 18 onward | Females switch to insects; traffic dips but the birds haven’t left |
| Add a second feeder | July 22 | ~2 weeks before departures begin — migrants stack on top of locals |
| Peak nectar demand | August 5 – August 28 | Birds double body weight for the trip; busy yards drain a feeder daily |
| Take feeders down | October 5 | ~2 weeks after the last stragglers (September 20) |
Plant a yard in Wyoming 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 5–September 20 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.
Wyoming 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 →