It's Winter Hummingbird Season again for Louisiana!

Keep those feeders filled, plant those native plants, and keep your eyes and ears looking and listening for winter hummers! Birds are already being reported in all the various ways. Last year was a very active year. Often years following active years also have good numbers of birds.

Though Louisiana only has one species of hummingbird that breeds here (Ruby-throated Hummingbird), there are numerous species that visit during the nonbreeding season. Some may only stay a few days while others may stay all season long. The species are numerous, but the ones here in the largest numbers are Rufous Hummingbirds, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, & Buff-bellied Hummingbirds. Some winters see larger numbers of these and several other species. To increase your odds of hosting one or more wintering hummingbirds, keep your feeders filled and plant as many hummingbird-attracting nectar plants as you can. Turk's Cap Hibiscus, various salvias, cigar plants (Cuphea spp.), porterweed, coral honeysuckle, shrimp plant, and others are good nectar plants in the fall and into winter barring any freezes. Evergreen trees like magnolias, citrus, live oak, and camellias can help shelter hummingbirds from the harsh winter weather. Feeders are recommended containing a nectar solution of 1 part white, granulated sugar to 4 parts water. In colder weather, 1:3 or even 1:2 is considered ok and may help lower the solutions freezing point. All of these ratios offer nectar within the range of many flowers that hummingbirds routinely visit.

Definitionally, any hummingbird (besides a Ruby-throated Hummingbird) observed in Louisiana is considered a "winter hummingbird." Ruby-throated Hummingbirds from November 15 through about February 15 are also in that category.

Below is the summary for each species in the 2020-2021 season. For a more detailed summary listing each sighting, you can see Dr. Erik Johnson's summary from the Labird listserv here.

Selasphorus Rufous/Allen's

617 reports
38 parishes
243 sites

--Identified Rufous Hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus)

246 reports
28 parishes
117 sites

--Identified Allen's Hummingbirds (Selasphorus sasin)

8 reports
7 parishes
7 sites

As always, please report your observations to Dr. Erik Johnson (Erik.Johnson AT audubon.org) with the following information:

Your name
Your city/town
First observed (FO) date (or, if discovered while banding or marking other birds, the date it was observed)
Species - please send photos, if available, for confirmation
Age (Adult, immature, unknown)
Sex (Male, female, unknown)
Whether banded, when and by whom
If additional information is learned through further observation or banding, please report those updates and I'll make the changes. Also, please report the last observed (LO) date, if possible, when the bird leaves. This you can do more easily when the hummer has been banded and marked.
Observations of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are requested if you see the bird after November 15.