In January 2010, a bander named Fred Dietrich caught a young female Rufous Hummingbird in a Tallahassee backyard, fitted her with a numbered band, and let her go. Six months later she was caught again — at Chenega Bay, Alaska, 3,530 miles away. It remains the longest hummingbird migration ever documented, and it started in a Florida garden in the middle of winter, at a feeder somebody had decided not to take down.

Whether you're gardening in Pensacola, Gainesville, Orlando, Miami, or the Keys, this guide will walk you through everything you need to turn your space into a Florida hummingbird destination: who's around and when, how to size your setup to any space, feeder and nectar care, pest-safe cleaning, and the native plants and wildflower seed varieties that thrive in Florida's climate.

The short version, if you're in a hurry:

To attract hummingbirds in Florida, keep a leak-proof feeder up year-round filled with fresh, dye-free nectar, change it every one to two days through the long hot season, skip the insecticide so hummingbirds can still hunt insects for protein, and plant native, nectar-rich flowers like firebush, coral honeysuckle, and tropical sage.

But the single most useful thing to know about Florida is this: the north and south halves of the state run opposite seasons. Around Gainesville, hummingbirds peak in July and August and all but vanish in midwinter. Around Miami, they're gone entirely in June and July and at their busiest from October through February. Which advice applies to you depends entirely on where you live.

• Best feeder type: leak-proof design with a comfort perch, like the AspenPerch® Hummingbird Feeder
• Best nectar: plain 4:1 water-to-sugar ratio, no red dye — or Pop's Nectar with added electrolytes and calcium
• North Florida: busiest July through September; feeders up by late February
• South Florida and the Keys: busiest October through February; empty in summer
• Where the rarities are: the Panhandle, overwhelmingly. Tallahassee has recorded seven species; the Keys have recorded one.
• Nectar change frequency: every 1–2 days above 90°F, which covers much of the Florida year
• Pest control: no insecticide — use vinegar-water spray and HummGuard™ nectar tips instead
• Top native plants: firebush, coral honeysuckle, tropical sage, red buckeye, coralbean
• Five to avoid: lantana, Mexican petunia, flame vine, Japanese honeysuckle and non-native firebush are all sold as hummingbird plants and all cause problems in Florida

Which Hummingbirds You'll See in Florida

Twelve hummingbird species appear on the Florida Ornithological Society's official state list, but only one nests here in any numbers. The rest are winter visitors and rarities — and they are not evenly spread. Tallahassee has recorded seven species. Key West has recorded one.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Florida's only widespread breeding species, and the one behind nearly every backyard sighting anywhere in the state. Breeding is concentrated in the Panhandle and north peninsula, thinning southward — University of Florida IFAS Extension puts the breeding range as extending to central Florida, with little to no nesting in the far south.

What makes Florida unusual is that Ruby-throated are somewhere in the state every week of the year. They just move. In summer they're in the north; in winter they're in the south. Banding has shown these winter birds are migrants rather than residents — one banded in Lakeland was later recovered in New Brunswick, Canada.

Quick ID: Males have a ruby-red gorget that looks flat black until light hits it head-on. Females and young have plain whitish throats, and young males often show fine dark streaking or a few scattered red flecks by late summer. Outside the Panhandle it's effectively the only hummingbird in Florida, so a bird in Orlando or the Keys needs no second guessing.

Rufous Hummingbird

A western species that regularly overwinters along the Gulf Coast, most often seen at Panhandle feeders from late autumn through winter. Rufous have one of the longest migrations relative to body size of any bird — the record-holder in the opening of this guide was one of them. Two decades of banding across southern Alabama and northern and central Florida found Rufous to be the most frequently captured wintering hummingbird, at roughly half of all birds caught.

Quick ID: Adult males are unmistakable coppery orange. Most winter birds aren't males, though — females and young are green-backed with rufous-washed flanks, rufous at the base of the tail, and a few red flecks at the throat. They cannot be reliably separated from Allen's Hummingbird in the field.

Black-chinned Hummingbird

A rare but regular winter visitor, and almost exclusively a Panhandle and north-central bird. In the same long-running banding work, Black-chinned was the third most frequently captured wintering species after Rufous and Ruby-throated.

Quick ID: Adult males have a velvety black throat edged with a thin band of violet-purple, visible only at the right angle. Females and young are effectively inseparable from Ruby-throated in the field — separating them usually takes measurements taken in the hand, which is why a licensed bander is the best way to know what you have.

Buff-bellied Hummingbird

A Gulf Coast specialist and the largest hummingbird most Florida gardeners will ever see. It's a late-autumn and winter visitor to the western Panhandle in particular, arriving in October and building to a peak in late November.

Quick ID: The easiest of the lot to name. Bright green throat and breast, a soft buff belly, rufous tail, and a bright red bill tipped in black — nothing else in Florida has the red bill.

Florida's Rarities — and Where They Actually Are

Beyond those four, the official state list includes Anna's, Allen's, Broad-billed, Broad-tailed, Calliope, Costa's, White-eared and the Caribbean-origin Bahama Woodstar. The Woodstar is the standout: the first United States record came from Lantana, Florida, in 1971, and of the handful of records since, all but one have been Florida birds.

But here's what most Florida guides won't tell you. These rarities are not a statewide phenomenon. Across ten years of records, Tallahassee has produced seven hummingbird species, and Pensacola and Gainesville six each. Orlando has produced two. Miami three. The entire Florida Keys have produced one — Ruby-throated, and nothing else, ever.

If you want a shot at something unusual, you need to be north of the Suwannee, and you need a feeder up in December.

One species you'll see in older Florida lists is the Cuban Emerald. It has been reported in south Florida perhaps a dozen times, but no record has ever been adequately documented, and the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee has not accepted it to the official state list.

When Do Hummingbirds Arrive and Leave Florida?

This is where Florida stops behaving like other states. Most places have one season that runs from spring to autumn. Florida has two, and they happen in different halves of the state at opposite times of year.

Statewide Picture

One statewide breeder — the Panhandle's real winter visitors don't show up at this scale, since they're too regionally concentrated to survive being averaged across the whole state. The region-by-region detail below tells that part of the story.

How often Ruby-throated turns up on eBird checklists, week by week — statewide, 2016–2025.

The North and South Run Opposite Seasons

Around Gainesville, hummingbirds peak in July and August and are close to absent from December through February.

Around Miami, it's the exact reverse: nothing at all through June and July, then numbers climb through September, peak in October, and stay high all winter.

The birds are always somewhere in Florida. They simply aren't always in your Florida.

Hummingbirds by Region

Derived from eBird bar chart data (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), 2016–2025, for Escambia, Leon, Alachua, Orange, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, cross-checked against University of Florida IFAS Extension and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission guidance.

Two Migration Routes, Not One

The Panhandle and the peninsula aren't just on different schedules — they're on different flyways.

The western Panhandle is a staging ground. Around Pensacola, hummingbirds peak in mid-September at rates far above anywhere else in Florida, then drop away sharply. Those birds are fattening up for a nonstop crossing of the Gulf of Mexico, the same way they do on the Alabama coast a few miles west.

The peninsula is a different route entirely. Birds work their way south down the peninsula and use Cuba as a stepping stone — the southern tip of Florida is only about 475 miles from the Yucatán, a shorter crossing than the 550-plus from the Mississippi Delta. That route runs later, which is why Orlando and Miami peak in October while Pensacola peaked in September.

The Summer Gap

Everywhere in Florida has a quiet stretch in late spring, but it's most extreme in the south. Miami-Dade records essentially nothing from May through August. The Keys the same. Even in the north, numbers dip in June before the young birds start flying.

If you live south of Orlando and your feeder goes untouched all summer, nothing is wrong. Your season simply hasn't started yet.

Want the full picture? Our Florida hummingbird season calendar breaks the year down month by month and region by region.

Nesting in Florida

Nesting begins in April in North Florida and the Panhandle. The female builds a walnut-sized nest of plant down bound with spider silk, often over water, and does everything alone — no help from a mate at any stage. She lays two eggs less than half an inch long, incubates for around two weeks, and the young leave the nest roughly three weeks after hatching. In the warm South, a female may raise two broods, occasionally three.

When to Put Your Feeder Up (and Take It Down)

And to settle a persistent myth: leaving a feeder up does not delay migration. Hummingbirds move on day length and hormonal cycles, not food supply. A late feeder simply helps the stragglers.

Attracting Hummingbirds No Matter Your Space

You don't need acres of land to invite wonder into your yard. Hummingbirds are famously adaptable — all they're really looking for is a dependable food source, a safe place to perch, and a little color.

Small Patio or Balcony

One feeder hung from a bracket or shepherd's hook, paired with a container of red or orange tubular blooms like tropical sage, is plenty to get noticed. Hummingbirds are solitary feeders by nature, so a single feeder works great in tight spaces. We put together a guide to which hummingbird products work best on a small patio or balcony if space is tight.

Average Backyard

Add a mix of feeders and native blooms along a fence line or garden bed, and give your visitors a swing or two nearby to rest and survey their territory between sips.

Large Yard with Trees

Take advantage of the shade, and aim for layers — groundcover, shrubs, and canopy. A layered yard gives hummingbirds nectar at different heights, nesting cover, and the perches they spend most of the day using. Spread multiple feeders far apart, since hummingbirds are territorial and will happily chase each other off a single feeder.

Keep Feeders Clean with Fresh Nectar

Choose a Leak-Proof Feeder

A feeder is only as good as what's in it — and how well it's kept. Pop's AspenPerch® Hummingbird Feeder is leak-proof by design and paired with our patented Polyperch® comfort perch, so your hummingbirds can rest and feed at the same time instead of hovering the whole meal.

Feeding Fundamentals

• Only fill what they'll drink in a few days. An 8 oz feeder rarely needs to be topped all the way off — overfilling just means more nectar sitting around long enough to spoil, especially in Florida's intense, prolonged heat.
• Skip the red dye. Your feeder's color does the attracting. University of Florida IFAS Extension also warns against honey and sugar substitutes, which can be harmful.
• Use a real nectar recipe, or save yourself the math with Pop's Nectar, formulated with added electrolytes and calcium to support hummingbirds through the demands of nesting season and migration — no dyes, no preservatives.

How Often to Change Nectar in Florida

Florida regularly sees temperatures above 90°F for much of the year, so nectar spoils fast for long stretches:

Above 90°F, nectar can spoil within a day, so plan on changing it daily through peak summer. A smaller feeder placed in shade slows the process down. Our full guide to how often to change hummingbird nectar covers the reasoning in more depth.

Or skip the math altogether — Pop's Nectar comes pre-measured, dye-free, and with the electrolytes and calcium a nesting female can't get from sugar alone.

Keep Feeders Pest-Free Without Insecticide

Hummingbirds don't live on nectar alone — small insects make up a big part of their protein diet, especially for feeding chicks. That means insect spray is off the table around your feeding station; it removes a food source hummingbirds depend on and can be harmful to them directly.

Instead:

• Clean your feeder every time you change the nectar, using hot water and a bottle brush — no soap residue, no bleach. Diluted white vinegar works well for breaking down sticky buildup or the beginnings of mold, and if you see black mold, scrub it out thoroughly rather than just rinsing. Our practical guide to cleaning hummingbird feeders walks through the whole routine.
• Deter ants and bees with a vinegar-water spray around (not on) the feeder ports, or wipe down the hanging hook where ants tend to march down. For the full set of options, see our guide to keeping ants away from hummingbird feeders.
• Use HummGuard™ nectar tips if bees and wasps keep crashing the party. They slide right onto the AspenPerch's feeding ports — the flexible membrane opens easily for a hummingbird's beak but closes tight against anything bigger.

Give Them a Place to Rest

Hummingbirds spend a surprising amount of their day perched, not flying — watching their territory, digesting, and simply resting between feedings. A Pop's Original Hummingbird Swing hung near your feeder gives them exactly that spot, and it turns your feeding station into a front-row seat for watching them up close. Hang it within a foot or two of your feeder, and don't be surprised if a hummingbird claims it as their own personal lookout post. Our guide to where to hang your hummingbird swing covers placement in more detail — height, distance, and the sightlines that make one get used.

Plant a Florida Native Hummingbird Garden

Feeders are a wonderful supplement, but nothing beats real, native nectar. Native plants evolved right alongside Florida's hummingbirds, so they bloom on the right schedule and produce exactly the nectar these birds are looking for.

Best Native Nectar Plants for Florida

Pop's tip: Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are especially drawn to red or orange blossoms held at least two feet above the ground — worth keeping in mind when deciding where to place taller plants like firebush or coral honeysuckle versus low groundcovers.

Five Widely Recommended Plants to Avoid in Florida

These all come up constantly in hummingbird and pollinator planting advice, and several of them genuinely do attract hummingbirds. That's precisely the problem — they get recommended for exactly that reason. All five are flagged by the University of Florida IFAS Assessment or the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council.

Common lantana (Lantana camara) is the big one. UF/IFAS lists it as a Category 1 invasive, partly because it hybridises with Florida's own native lantana and threatens it genetically. You can tell them apart by the leaf base: the native has a tapered base, the invasive a squared-off one. If you want lantana, plant the native Lantana depressa or L. involucrata, or one of the sterile UF-bred cultivars such as 'Bloomify Red'.

Mexican petunia (Ruellia simplex) is another Category 1 invasive, and UF/IFAS is blunt that it displaces natives and alters wetland plant communities. Sterile cultivars exist; the wild type does not belong in a Florida garden.

Flame vine (Pyrostegia venusta) is sold precisely because its orange tubular flowers attract hummingbirds. UF/IFAS rates it a high invasion risk and notes it smothers other vegetation as it climbs.

Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is prohibited in Florida. UF/IFAS's own recommended replacement is coral honeysuckle — a native, equally good for hummingbirds, and already in the table above.

Non-native firebush. Native firebush is excellent. But the widely sold "African", "dwarf" or "compact" firebush is a different variety, Hamelia patens var. glabra, which hybridises with the native. Ask for var. patens by name.

If You're Near the Border

Hummingbirds don't check a map before deciding where to feed, so if you're near a state line, your best guide might be a blend of both.

Near Georgia: Georgia's "second hummingbird season" winter phenomenon extends directly into Florida's Panhandle and north Florida. See our Georgia hummingbird guide for more.

Near Alabama: The western Panhandle shares Alabama's Gulf Coast staging pattern almost exactly — same September peak, same trans-Gulf crossing, and the winter banding research that underpins both guides was carried out across the two states together. See our Alabama hummingbird guide for more.

To make this easy, our Perfect Little Sanctuary® Wildflower Seed Blend is designed to bring nectar-rich color into your yard with minimal fuss.

When to Plant the Perfect Little Sanctuary® Blend in Florida

Fall through early winter is the best planting window in North and Central Florida — aim for October through November, taking advantage of the state's cooler, drier season and avoiding peak hurricane season. This timing is based on the germination needs of the blend's own 12 varieties, though it comes with a real caveat for Florida: 9 of the 12 either need or benefit from a cold, moist stratification period, and much of Florida rarely gets the sustained cold that triggers it. Expect more uneven germination here than in states with real winters, and treat Florida's own native plants as the more dependable long-term investment.

Top Performers in Florida

• Lance-Leaved Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) — native, and one of the more reliable performers even without a hard winter
• Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) — native, with a Florida-adapted variety that handles the state's conditions well
• Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) — native to the Panhandle, and noticeably more reliable in North Florida than further south
• Perennial Lupine (Lupinus perennis) — native, though its natural Florida range only reaches the northern part of the state
• Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) — not originally a Florida native, but long naturalized along the state's sandy coasts and highly heat and drought tolerant
• White Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) — broadly naturalized rather than native, and better suited to North Florida than the deep subtropical south

Pop's tip: Sow the blend as directed and it will do its job. But Florida's own natives — firebush, coral honeysuckle, tropical sage — are better adapted and will outperform it over time.

Summary: Key Takeaways for Attracting Hummingbirds in Florida

Building a hummingbird-friendly yard doesn't take a green thumb or a big budget — just a little consistency and the right setup. Here's everything from this guide in one place:

• North and South Florida run opposite seasons. Gainesville peaks in July and August; Miami is empty then and busiest from October through February.
• Hummingbirds are somewhere in Florida every week of the year — but not everywhere at once.
• Twelve species are on the official Florida list, but they are concentrated in the north. Tallahassee has recorded seven; the Florida Keys have recorded one.
• The western Panhandle is a Gulf staging ground with the state's biggest September peak; the peninsula is a separate, later route toward Cuba.
• Ruby-throated is the only widespread breeder, nesting mainly in the Panhandle and north peninsula from April onward.
• Rufous, Black-chinned and Buff-bellied are the regular winter visitors — and almost exclusively Panhandle birds.
• Feeder timing: late February in the north; year-round everywhere, since it costs nothing and the southern season starts in autumn.
• Any size space works — one feeder is plenty for a balcony; larger yards can support multiple feeders spaced apart.
• Skip red dye and never use honey; a plain 4:1 sugar-water ratio or Pop's Nectar both work.
• Change nectar daily above 90°F, and clean with hot water and diluted vinegar — no soap or bleach.
• Never use insecticide near feeders; hummingbirds rely on insects for protein. Use vinegar-water spray and HummGuard™ nectar tips for pest control instead.
• Add a swing near the feeder to give hummingbirds a place to rest and be observed up close.
• Plant native firebush, coral honeysuckle and tropical sage. Avoid common lantana, Mexican petunia, flame vine, Japanese honeysuckle and non-native firebush — all five are sold as pollinator plants and all are flagged by UF/IFAS.
• Sow wildflower seed in October–November in North and Central Florida.

Get these basics in place, and the wonder takes care of itself.

This guide covers what's specific to Florida — the species, the timing, the plants that belong here. For the fundamentals that apply anywhere, including water sources, shelter, and how the pieces work together, read our guide to building the ultimate hummingbird sanctuary.

Frequently Asked Questions

A few of the questions we hear most from fellow hummingbird lovers across Florida:

Why is my Florida feeder empty all summer?

If you live south of Orlando, that's normal. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are essentially absent from South Florida and the Keys from May through August. They return in September, peak in October, and stay through the winter. In North Florida the pattern is reversed — summer is the busy season there.

When should I put my hummingbird feeder out in Florida?

In the Panhandle and north peninsula, by late February for the first spring arrivals. In central and south Florida, the honest answer is to leave one up all year — it costs almost nothing, and the southern season begins in autumn when most people have stopped paying attention.

Do hummingbirds stay in Florida year-round?

Somewhere in Florida, yes — but not in one place. The birds move from the north of the state in summer to the south in winter, so any given garden has an off-season even though the state as a whole doesn't.

Why do I never see anything but Ruby-throated?

Because of where you are. Florida's rarer hummingbirds are overwhelmingly a Panhandle and north Florida phenomenon. Ten years of records show seven species around Tallahassee and six around Pensacola and Gainesville — but only two around Orlando, three around Miami, and one in the entire Florida Keys.

What is the rarest hummingbird recorded in Florida?

The Bahama Woodstar, a Caribbean species. The first United States record came from Lantana, Florida, in 1971, and of the handful of records since, all but one have been Florida birds. The Cuban Emerald is often mentioned too, but despite a number of reports from south Florida, none has ever been adequately documented and it is not on the official state list.

How often should I clean my hummingbird feeder in Florida?

Clean it every time you change the nectar — as often as daily when temperatures top 90°F, which happens for much of the year, and at least every 5–6 days in cooler weather. Use hot water and diluted white vinegar rather than soap or bleach.

What plants should I avoid planting for hummingbirds in Florida?

Common lantana, Mexican petunia, flame vine, Japanese honeysuckle, and the non-native "African" firebush. All five are sold widely, several are marketed specifically as hummingbird plants, and all are flagged as invasive or prohibited by University of Florida IFAS. Native alternatives — coral honeysuckle, native firebush, buttonsage — do the same job without the harm.

Florida Hummingbird Resources

Audubon Chapters

Florida is home to numerous local Audubon chapters across the state. Find the one closest to you with Audubon's Find Your Local Audubon tool.

If You Find an Injured or Grounded Hummingbird

Hummingbirds are protected under federal and Florida state law, so only a licensed wildlife rehabilitator can legally care for one.

• FWC — Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitators List — the official statewide directory by county (Wildlife Alert Hotline: 1-888-404-3922)
• Florida Wildlife Rehabilitators Association — an interactive map of licensed rehabilitators statewide
• CROW (Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife) (Sanibel Island) — a well-established wildlife hospital treating sick and injured native species

Hummingbird Research & Banding in Florida

• Hummingbird Research, Inc., led by master banders Fred Bassett and Fred Dietrich, has run long-term published research on hummingbirds wintering in Florida and southern Alabama since the late 1990s. Across two decades of banding they have documented eleven species wintering in the region — most of which field guides don't show as occurring in the Southeast at all.
• The Rufous Hummingbird in this guide's opening was banded by Fred Dietrich in Tallahassee in January 2010 and recaptured at Chenega Bay, Alaska, six months later — 3,530 miles away, and still the longest hummingbird migration ever documented.
• Fred Bassett or Fred Dietrich speak most Januaries at Native Nurseries in Tallahassee about the current winter banding season.

Sources

• eBird bar chart data, Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Florida statewide plus Escambia, Leon, Alachua, Orange, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, 2016–2025.
• Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee — Official State List.
• University of Florida IFAS Extension — Hummingbirds of Florida (WEC21/UW059).
• UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions — Invasive Vines of Florida. Source for Japanese honeysuckle and flame vine.
• UF/IFAS — Lantana camara and sterile cultivars. Source for the Category 1 listing and hybridization with native lantana.
• Bassett, F., & Cubie, D. (2009). Wintering hummingbirds in Alabama and Florida. Journal of Field Ornithology, 80(2), 154–162.
• Bassett, F., & Dietrich, K. (2021). A second decade of overwintering hummingbirds in Florida and Alabama. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 133(1), 132–136.
• Langridge, H. P., & Sykes, P. W. (1974). Bahama Woodstar in Florida. The Auk, 91(4), 849.

Haven't grabbed it yet? Download the free Florida Quick Reference Guide — one page, print and keep.

At Pop's Birding, we believe every backyard — big or small — has room for a little more wonder. Explore our hummingbird feeders, hummingbird nectar, hummingbird swings, and wildflower seed blends to start building your own hummingbird sanctuary today.