MOSS POINT—Across Mississippi, hummingbird feeders have been cleaned and stored until spring migration begins. But, not having a nectar feeder hanging may limit winter guests.
While hummingbirds migrate south during the winter, many of them spending these colder months south of America’s borders, but some prefer the milder climate of the southern gulf coast states.
Kyle Shepard with the Banding Coalition of the Americas said he has personally seen wintering hummingbirds as far north in Mississippi as Starkville, but he said this year there have also been reports of hummingbirds from Southern Florida to Northern New York. While the Ruby-throat hummingbird is the most prevalent bird in Mississippi, wintering birds are also comprised of western species.
“Every winter a relative handful of hummingbirds will fly eastward where they will overwinter somewhere in the Southeastern U.S.” Shepard said. “More often than not, they are comprised of western species such as Rufous Hummingbirds and Black-chinned Hummingbirds in addition to several other species.”
Winter hummingbird research has been happening for decades to band as many winter hummingbirds as possible for recording the current history of these tiny birds and how their migration patterns are shifting. This is done through the support of “hummer hosts” around the southeast.
“We encourage residents to leave at least one nectar feeder out during the winter months between November 15 and March 1,” Shepard said. “If you have a hummingbird during this time, please let us know! Either BCA or another bander will come and band it.”
The myth that keeping a feeder out hinders the migration of hummingbirds is just that, a myth.
“The feeder does not keep birds from migrating, rather, the feeder is attracting a bird to your house that is already in the area,” he added. “Most winter hummingbirds appear in the middle of the winter season in December-February.”
If a hummingbird is spotted anywhere across the southeast, please report this to the BCA. Once spotted and captured, the hummingbird is banded for further research. Many times the same birds return to the same areas each year as is documented by the band. The bird band has unique serial numbers that are entered into the Bird Banding Lab’s database for tracking.
“We need to understand how species interact with each other and how they hold territories and if so, how large these territories are,” said Emma Rhodes, director of BCA. “This will give us an indication of the carrying capacity of key habitats and how much habitat is required to conserve for stable populations.”
With many hummingbird species in decline, more data is needed to identify habitats used by hummingbirds throughout the annual cycle, but especially during migration. This data is critical for focused conservation efforts and educating the public about how they too can support the creation of stopover habitats.
Along with banding hummingbirds, BCA has begun gluing small tracking devices on the small birds the BlūMorpho transmitter can be detected by a multitude of receiving devices and allow the researchers to obtain near real time movement data. Another way to understand more about habits and behavior to better inform conservation efforts. As the research and tracking evolves, this is an important time for citizens to assist by reporting sightings.
BCA is an all-volunteer 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to avian research and public outreach. For updates on winter hummer banding, follow BCA on Facebook.
*All banding is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s BBL.
