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Wondering when you鈥檙e most likely to spot hummingbirds? In Minnesota, we see a feeding frenzy in mid-August!
Tiny Travelers
Hummingbirds are only found in the Americas, ranging from Alaska to southern Chile. The United States is home to approximately 15 of the 366 species of hummingbirds that can be found throughout both continents. We tend to associate hummingbirds with tropical rainforests, but they are found in various habitats like below sea level deserts and steamy tropical forests. If we want to talk about variety, the Andes takes the win with over 130 species of hummingbirds!
These brilliant creatures are known for their small size and rapid flight. Species like the bee hummingbird weigh approximately 2 grams, less than a penny! Then there鈥檚 the giant hummingbird that can weigh up to 24 grams, similar to an AA battery.
Another thing that makes hummingbirds unique is their flight. They have long wings with short muscles used in energetic flight. They get their name because when they fly, they produce a humming sound caused by the quick movement of their long wings which can go from 720-540 times per minute depending on the species. These tiny acrobats can fly as fast as 30 miles per hour while moving forward, but they can double the speed to 60 miles per hour when they go for a dive!
Hummingbirds are capable of hovering for prolonged periods of time by rotating their wings in a figure eight pattern and can fly backward by twisting their wings a full 180 degrees, all thanks to their shoulder joints, wing structure structure
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Learn more about structure and large flight muscles. But don鈥檛 worry about them crashing into you, they can come to a complete stop in an instant!
While they might be small, their striking iridescent feathers are bound to catch your eye.Male hummingbirds (and sometimes females) tend to have highly reflective feathers on their throat and upper chest, called a gorget. These dazzling feathers are not pigmented and instead result from iridescence, which means they are highly visible when sunlight reflects off them.
They need fuel!
These birds are considered both nectarivores and insectivores, meaning they eat insects and food produced by flowers in form of nectar, which is basically water and sugar. While they feed, they pick up and transfer pollen from flower to flower and function as pollinators, adding to their uniqueness in the bird world!
Hummingbirds can drink twice their weight in water and consume more than half their weight in food every day, with nectar coming primarily from long, tubular flowers. But how do they reach the nectar from these flowers? Well, aside from having long narrow bills, they possess long specialized tongues.
It was thought that their tongues were hollow and functioned like a straw to suck up nectar, but recent studies show that their tongue is forked, similar to a snake鈥檚 tongue, and it changes in shape dramatically, extending and retracting rapidly while they feed.
Who calls Minnesota home?
While other species like the rufous, calliope and Anna鈥檚 hummingbirds migrate through Minnesota, encounters with these little travelers are rare. The only species that lives in Minnesota is the ruby-throated hummingbird(Archilochus colubris). They have a bright golden-green color on their back, white/gray underparts and are famous for the males鈥� iridescent ruby red gorget. Both males and females can reach a length of just over 3 inches from their head to their tail and their straight, thin bill adds another inch.
The ruby-throated hummingbird is eastern North America鈥檚 only breeding hummingbird. Open woodlands, meadows, grasslands, forest edges and parks make great homes for them. Exploring gardens with blooming flowers or along the woodland edges during the summer is a great way to spot them.
Tiny and fierce!
Despite its small size, the male ruby-throated hummingbird doesn鈥檛 hesitate when it comes to defending their territory from other male hummingbirds or bigger birds like hawks.
All aboard for the August departure?
Mid to late August is the perfect time to see these tiny icons in the United States as they get ready for their journey south. Helping hummingbirds get ready for this event is easy! You can plant nectar-rich flowers, and if you don鈥檛 have access to colorful tubular flowers in your garden, hummingbird feeders never fail. For this, all you need is approximately one-quarter cup of granulated sugar for every cup of water you use, mixing it well. Don鈥檛 add red food dye as it can be harmful, focusing instead on having a red or colorful feeder to attract the hummingbirds in place of colored nectar water! Make sure to change the water every 2-3 days as the summer heat ferments it and quickly produces toxic alcohol; looking out for cloudy or discolored water is a must.
When it comes to gardens, hummingbirds are attracted to red and orange tubular flowers (long, tube shaped flowers), like cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) and jewelweed (Impatiens capensis). In August at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, you can find wild bergamot in the prairie and jewelweed in semi-shaded areas, often near poison ivy and stinging nettle, so keep an eye out for these beautiful flowers when you go for a hike!
Hummingbird Hurrah? Count me in!
If you want to experience the hummingbird feeding frenzy outside of your garden, head over to on Saturday, August 16th, 2025 and spot these little travelers before they leave.
Recreational Activities
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