WhenToBird

Archilochus colubris · Trochilidae

When Do Ruby-throated Hummingbirds Arrive in Mississippi?

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

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds reach Mississippi in the second week of March, are common by late March, peak in mid September (36% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 22-31late March
PeakSep 15-21mid September
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: mid September. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 36% of Mississippi checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 4836 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 3323 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 3400 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.2% of 4705 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 3387 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 3911 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 4691 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 3409 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.4% of 3276 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.8% of 3273 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.8% of 3552 checklistsMar 22-31: 10% of 5618 checklistsApr 1-7: 14% of 4432 checklistsApr 8-14: 18% of 4907 checklistsApr 15-21: 21% of 5239 checklistsApr 22-30: 19% of 7043 checklistsMay 1-7: 19% of 4597 checklistsMay 8-14: 17% of 4383 checklistsMay 15-21: 13% of 3088 checklistsMay 22-31: 12% of 3805 checklistsJun 1-7: 10% of 2658 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.6% of 2469 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 2112 checklistsJun 22-30: 16% of 2534 checklistsJul 1-7: 18% of 2099 checklistsJul 8-14: 17% of 1885 checklistsJul 15-21: 19% of 1811 checklistsJul 22-31: 23% of 2793 checklistsAug 1-7: 24% of 2045 checklistsAug 8-14: 22% of 2210 checklistsAug 15-21: 22% of 2437 checklistsAug 22-31: 26% of 3415 checklistsSep 1-7: 30% of 2837 checklistsSep 8-14: 38% of 2585 checklistsSep 15-21: 36% of 2870 checklistsSep 22-30: 35% of 3610 checklistsOct 1-7: 26% of 2938 checklistsOct 8-14: 16% of 3457 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.9% of 3168 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.1% of 3752 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.6% of 2847 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.5% of 2648 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.3% of 2599 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.3% of 3389 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.4% of 2419 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 2526 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.3% of 2966 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.4% of 4466 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jefferson Davis CountyBest mid August · 11 checklists that week, 370 in all94%
  2. Marshall CountyBest the second week of September · 53 checklists that week, 1,345 in all80%
  3. DeSoto CountyBest mid September · 88 checklists that week, 5,093 in all76%
  4. Tate CountyBest mid June · 16 checklists that week, 510 in all61%
  5. Hinds CountyBest early September · 174 checklists that week, 9,842 in all59%
  6. Lafayette CountyBest the second week of August · 58 checklists that week, 4,770 in all56%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bellefontaine Point Coastal ReserveJackson County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 676 in all90%
  2. Plymouth BluffLowndes County, best late April · 31 checklists that week, 333 in all80%
  3. Lake Yazoo (East Pascagoula)Jackson County, best mid October · 20 checklists that week, 585 in all68%
  4. Hurricane LakeMadison County, best the second week of September · 32 checklists that week, 1,600 in all50%

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

Best time of day

In Mississippi, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (20% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (54) to judge1 am: too few checklists (48) to judge2 am: too few checklists (28) to judge3 am: too few checklists (60) to judge4 am: too few checklists (114) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1139) to judge6 am: 22% of 9054 checklists7 am: 15% of 18481 checklists8 am: 12% of 17525 checklists9 am: 9.5% of 15482 checklists10 am: 7.1% of 14380 checklists11 am: 6.4% of 12728 checklists12 pm: 7.2% of 11009 checklists1 pm: 6.3% of 10651 checklists2 pm: 7.5% of 10787 checklists3 pm: 8.1% of 11221 checklists4 pm: 15% of 11861 checklists5 pm: 22% of 8854 checklists6 pm: 17% of 6018 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2387) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (114) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (63) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (48) 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
January0.2%0.2%0.1%0.2%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
March1.4%2.8%5.8%10%
April14%18%21%19%
May19%17%13%12%
June10%9.6%13%16%
July18%17%19%23%
August24%22%22%26%
September30%38%36%35%
October26%16%6.9%2.1%
November0.6%0.5%0.3%0.3%
December0.4%0.4%0.3%0.4%

Neighboring states

  • Alabama: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Mississippi
  • Louisiana: arrives late July, 18 weeks later than Mississippi
  • Arkansas: arrives early April, 3 weeks later than Mississippi
  • Georgia: arrives mid March, 1 week later than Mississippi

Common questions

When do Ruby-throated Hummingbirds arrive in Mississippi?
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds reach Mississippi in the second week of March, are common by late March, peak in mid September (36% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Ruby-throated Hummingbirds leave Mississippi?
Most Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have left Mississippi by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late October.
When is the best time to see a Ruby-throated Hummingbird in Mississippi?
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is reported most often in mid September, on about 36% of Mississippi checklists.
Where in Mississippi are Ruby-throated Hummingbirds seen most often?
By county, Jefferson Davis County, Marshall County, and DeSoto County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).