When your feeders go quiet in the fall, the hummingbirds haven't just disappeared — they've embarked on one of the most remarkable journeys in the animal kingdom.
The Great Migration
Most Ruby-throated Hummingbirds — the species found throughout eastern North America — winter in Mexico and Central America, primarily along the Pacific and Gulf coasts. Some travel as far as Panama. That's a journey of up to 3,000 miles for a bird that weighs less than a nickel.
Crossing the Gulf
Perhaps the most astonishing part of the journey is the non-stop flight across the Gulf of Mexico. This 500-mile crossing takes 18–20 hours of continuous flight. Before making the trip, hummingbirds bulk up, nearly doubling their body weight by storing fat.
Western Species
Anna's Hummingbirds, common along the Pacific Coast, are actually year-round residents in much of their range. Rufous Hummingbirds, on the other hand, make one of the longest migrations relative to body size of any bird — traveling from Alaska to Mexico and back.
