Hummingbirds migrate when ready
Published: October 7, 2008
From Birder's World magazine
WAUKESHA, Wis. — Millions of birdwatchers across the country keep their hummingbird feeders full all summer. Many worry that doing so in the fall will prevent the birds from making the all-important migration. Is this true?
"People worry that feeding hummingbirds in fall and winter may be harmful to the tiny birds, but that isn't the case," says Birder's World Editor Chuck Hagner. "The birds will migrate when they're ready."
Birder's World magazine editors are available to explain this phenomenon. To request an interview, please contact Matt Quandt at 262.798.6484 or mquandt@kalmbach.com.
Hummingbirds (like other bird species) migrate in response to shortened day length, which brings about hormonal changes. The presence of a feeder does not influence the progress of migration.
Most hummingbirds migrate by mid-October, but a few birds usually linger.
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