Hummingbirds in Seattle 2024

Even though hummingbirds are believed to be fair-weather visitors, you can still meet them in Seattle, Washington. In fact, there are four hummingbird species you can spot in this city: Anna's hummingbirds, rufous hummingbirds, calliope hummingbirds (rarer), and black-chinned hummingbirds (rarer).

When are hummingbirds in Seattle?

Anna's hummingbirds are the only kind that stays in Seattle 365 days out of the year. However, the best time to see them is in winter. Rufous hummingbirds, calliope hummingbirds, and black-chinned hummingbirds visit Seattle in summer. In September, they migrate south to Mexico and Central America for winter.

How do hummingbirds survive cold in Seattle?

The thing is that hummingbirds can reduce their body temperature at night and conserve their energy. Also, to survive the cold in Seattle, they need a lot of nectar during the days to keep them warm during the nights.

Feeding hummingbirds in winter in Seattle

If you want to help these tiny creatures overwinter in Seattle, here are a few tips on making it successful. Keep the mix at 1:4 ratio sugar to water. A higher sugar concentration doesn't necessarily benefit hummingbirds because it can harm their liver and kidneys. Also, warm your feeder and try to prevent its freezing. Hanging two feeders instead of one will be an amazing solution since Anna's hummingbirds don't share well.