WhenToBird

Archilochus colubris · Trochilidae

When Do Ruby-throated Hummingbirds Arrive in Florida?

Adult male Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Photo: David Bird, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are in Florida all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early July, peak in late September (11% of checklists), and fall back by late October. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJul 1-7early July
PeakSep 22-30late September
Fall back byOct 22-31late October
FewestJan 15-21mid January

Best: late September. Here all year; numbers build from early July and fall back by late October. Peak: on about 11% of Florida checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 3.0% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.6% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.6% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.7% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.9% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.9% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.1% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.8% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.6% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.3% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.8% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.1% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.4% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.6% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.7% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.3% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.8% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.0% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.4% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.3% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.7% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.1% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.8% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.3% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.9% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.0% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.5% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.2% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.4% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.6% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.2% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.3% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.1% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.8% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.0% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.3% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.8% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.8% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.3% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.1% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.6% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.5% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.4% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.5% of 82405 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Florida that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bradford CountyBest late July · 64 checklists that week, 3,077 in all59%
  2. Santa Rosa CountyBest mid September · 265 checklists that week, 15,001 in all53%
  3. Washington CountyBest the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 1,773 in all50%
  4. Levy CountyBest the second week of August · 200 checklists that week, 15,032 in all50%
  5. Dixie CountyBest late July · 36 checklists that week, 2,113 in all47%
  6. Columbia CountyBest mid August · 64 checklists that week, 5,568 in all45%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Castellow Hammock PreserveMiami-Dade County, best early December · 22 checklists that week, 1,035 in all99%
  2. The CoveHillsborough County, best late December · 34 checklists that week, 1,248 in all97%
  3. Lake DestinySeminole County, best the second week of February · 22 checklists that week, 1,410 in all97%
  4. Kendale Lakes ParkMiami-Dade County, best late December · 46 checklists that week, 665 in all92%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Florida, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (7.3% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 6.7% of 94591 checklists7 am: 7.6% of 296183 checklists8 am: 6.5% of 319987 checklists9 am: 5.5% of 254830 checklists10 am: 4.6% of 209480 checklists11 am: 4.5% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 4.3% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 4.2% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 4.2% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 4.7% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 5.0% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 5.6% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 5.5% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January3.0%2.6%2.6%2.7%
February2.9%2.9%3.1%2.8%
March2.6%3.3%4.8%6.1%
April6.4%6.6%6.7%6.3%
May6.8%5.0%4.4%4.3%
June4.7%5.1%5.8%6.3%
July7.9%8.0%8.5%9.2%
August9.4%9.6%9.2%8.3%
September9.1%11%12%12%
October11%9.8%9.0%7.3%
November5.8%4.8%4.3%4.1%
December3.6%3.5%3.4%3.5%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: arrives mid March, 14 weeks earlier than Florida
  • South Carolina: arrives late March, 13 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Alabama: arrives the second week of March, 15 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of March, 15 weeks earlier than Florida

Common questions

When do Ruby-throated Hummingbirds arrive in Florida?
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are in Florida all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early July, peak in late September (11% of checklists), and fall back by late October. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.
When do Ruby-throated Hummingbirds leave Florida?
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds never fully leave Florida: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late October, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Ruby-throated Hummingbird in Florida?
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is reported most often in late September, on about 11% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Ruby-throated Hummingbirds seen most often?
By county, Bradford County, Santa Rosa County, and Washington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).