We think of them as frequent visitors at nectar feeders, in parks and in gardens, but these tiny insectivores also live in forests and forest edges, near streams and other wooded places. Their tiny nests are built on tree branches, made of spider web and lichen and lined with plant down.
The hummingbird family is very large, though fewer than two dozen species venture into the U.S. and Canada. They typically begin arriving in Missouri in early April and start nesting mid-May. They begin fall migration in mid-August and are often gone by early October, overwintering in southern Florida, southern Mexico and South America. Most hummingbirds seen in Missouri are the ruby-throated hummingbird, but rarely other species can be seen here.
Attract these summer migrators by providing food sources for them in your yard or garden, especially Missouri native plants. The best time to hang hummingbird feeders in Missouri is around April 25, when ruby-throated hummingbirds return to Missouri. Learn more about attracting hummingbirds at https://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2020-02/hosting-hummingbirds.
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