Sep 16, 2026
Nevada Hummingbird Season: A Month-by-Month Calendar
Timing derived from eBird checklist data, 2016–2025, sourced September 2026.
Nevada is genuinely different from every state we've built a calendar for so far: two hummingbirds live here all year, and only in the state's southern and central counties. Anna's Hummingbird and Costa's Hummingbird are both present in Clark County (Las Vegas) and statewide every week of the year — there's no "arrival" or "departure" to date for either one there. Reno tells a different story: Costa's is only a brief late-summer visitor, and even Anna's, while genuinely present all year, runs far thinner than it does in the south. Layered on top of the two residents, Black-chinned Hummingbird is Nevada's widest-ranging breeder, arriving south-to-north over about five weeks — late March in Las Vegas, late April in Reno, early May in Elko — and Clark County's Rufous Hummingbird passes through twice, a light spring wave in April and a much bigger fall surge peaking in late August.
The short answer: if you're in Las Vegas or Reno, your feeder should already be up — Anna's and Costa's need it every month of the year. Everywhere else, plan around Black-chinned Hummingbird: arriving late March in Las Vegas, late April in Reno, and early May in Elko, then leaving statewide by mid-October. Broad-tailed Hummingbird and Calliope Hummingbird also arrive statewide in late April, though neither is reliably present in every region.
Quick Answers
| Question | Nevada answer |
|---|---|
| When do hummingbirds arrive? | Depends where you live — Las Vegas and Reno never go without one. Elsewhere, Black-chinned arrives late March to early May, south to north |
| When should feeders go up? | Year-round in Las Vegas and Reno; by mid-March in Elko, ahead of Black-chinned's early-May arrival |
| When do they nest? | June, when Black-chinned numbers ease statewide as females sit on nests |
| Busiest months? | Two separate stories — statewide Black-chinned peaks in mid-May, while Clark County's Rufous peaks in late August |
| When do hummingbirds leave Nevada? | Mid-October for Black-chinned statewide; Elko clears earliest, by mid-September. Anna's and Costa's never leave the south and center |
| Anything in winter? | Yes — Anna's and Costa's hold their usual numbers in Las Vegas and Reno all winter, the only state in this series where that's true |
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Nevada's Hummingbird Season at a Glance
Six species show up on Nevada's statewide chart, and they fall into two completely different patterns. Anna's and Costa's don't have a season at all — both turn up steadily in every single week of the year, Anna's the more common of the two. Black-chinned, Rufous, Broad-tailed and Calliope are real seasonal breeders and migrants layered on top of that year-round floor: Black-chinned is the biggest of the four, peaking in mid-May, while Rufous peaks later and lower, in late August. Broad-tailed and Calliope both stay smaller.
How often each species turns up on eBird checklists, week by week, statewide, 2016–2025. Three more hummingbirds have Nevada records but are too rare to chart: Broad-billed Hummingbird turns up now and then, mostly in the far south between September and February, while Ruby-throated and Rivoli's are one-off rarities. All three are on the Nevada Bird Records Committee's review list, so if you see one, photograph it and report it.
The Regions on This Page
Nevada is large and its hummingbirds are genuinely regional, so this page uses its three most heavily birded counties, each representing a different part of the state:
Elko County (Elko). The far northeast, Nevada's coldest and least-birded corner.
Washoe County (Reno). The northwest, on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada.
Clark County (Las Vegas). The far south, low desert, and by far the state's busiest hummingbird county.
One thing to know before you start: the map above tracks Black-chinned Hummingbird, Nevada's widest-ranging breeder — but it isn't the only story in any of these three counties. Las Vegas and Reno both carry two year-round residents underneath whatever Black-chinned is doing that week. Elko has almost none of that — Anna's shows up there only as a handful of scattered winter records too thin to call a season, and it's the one region where Costa's essentially never appears at all.
January & February: Only the Residents
Nevada's two year-round residents are the entire story this early in the year, and only in the south and center. Statewide, Anna's turns up on about one in five checklists and Costa's on about one in ten, both months. Reno's numbers are far thinner — Anna's is only an occasional sighting there in January and February — and Elko has essentially none of either species. Nothing else is present anywhere in the state.
What to do: If you're in Las Vegas or Reno, there's no offseason maintenance window — keep nectar fresh and check the feeder for ice on cold nights. Everywhere else, this is the month to check last year's feeder for cracked seals and worn ports before Black-chinned's spring arrival puts it back to work.
March: Anna's and Costa's Peak, and Black-chinned Arrives
March is the high point of the year for Nevada's two residents — none of the breeding species have arrived yet to compete for attention. Statewide, both species hit their highest numbers of the year in the first half of the month — and in Clark County specifically, Anna's turns up on nearly half of all checklists and Costa's on about one in five. This is also when the first migrant arrives: Black-chinned reaches Las Vegas late in the month, the earliest of its three regional arrivals.
| Region | March |
|---|---|
| Elko | Nothing regular yet |
| Washoe (Reno) | Anna's steady around 3%; nothing else yet |
| Clark (Las Vegas) | Anna's and Costa's both at their annual peaks; Black-chinned arrives late in the month |
April: Black-chinned Spreads North, and Clark's Rufous Makes Its First Pass
Black-chinned reaches Reno late this month, and Clark County's numbers climb fast — from barely any sightings in March to about one in five checklists by the end of April. Broad-tailed and Calliope both arrive statewide as well, though neither settles into every region: Broad-tailed shows up in Clark and, later, Elko, but is essentially absent from Reno all year, and Calliope establishes in Reno and (thinly) statewide, but never becomes a regular presence in Clark County.
This is also when Clark County's Rufous makes its first appearance of the year — a real signal, not a fluke, building from a handful of checklists in mid-March to a genuine wave by the last week of April, before easing off again through May. It's the lighter of Clark's two Rufous passages; the much bigger one comes back in late summer.
| Region | April |
|---|---|
| Elko | Still essentially nothing regular |
| Washoe (Reno) | Black-chinned arrives late in the month; Calliope arrives alongside it |
| Clark (Las Vegas) | Black-chinned climbs past 21%; Broad-tailed arrives; Rufous's light spring wave builds and peaks |
What to do: If you're anywhere Black-chinned reaches this month — Reno included — get the feeder up by mid-April rather than waiting for the first bird. A feeder hanging a week early costs nothing; one still in the garage costs you the sighting.
May: Black-chinned Reaches Elko and Peaks Statewide
Black-chinned completes its south-to-north spread this month, reaching Elko in early May — the last of Nevada's three regions to get it. Statewide, Black-chinned peaks for the year in the second week of May. Clark County runs well ahead of the statewide numbers, with Black-chinned on nearly a third of checklists, while Reno and Elko are still building toward their own local peaks later in the summer.
| Region | May |
|---|---|
| Elko | Black-chinned arrives early in the month; Broad-tailed arrives mid-month |
| Washoe (Reno) | Calliope reaches its local peak, around 8%; Black-chinned still building |
| Clark (Las Vegas) | Black-chinned near its own peak, around 30%; Rufous's spring wave has largely passed through |
Get ahead of the state's busiest month.
May is when Black-chinned peaks statewide and Calliope peaks in Reno — a feeder that's already up and full matters more this month than any other. AspenPerch® has a built-in ant moat and a Polyperch® comfort perch, so birds can rest between sips instead of guarding the whole feeder.
Shop AspenPerch® →June: Nesting Season
Black-chinned eases back statewide as females settle onto nests — a noticeable dip from May's numbers, and a sharper one in Clark County. Reno and Elko, both still building toward their own later peaks, barely register the pause. Broad-tailed and Calliope keep climbing through June in the regions where they're established.
Why nesting season is the demanding one
There's a wrinkle specific to hummingbirds. Most female birds build up a temporary calcium store in their bones, called medullary bone, and draw on it to make eggshell. Hummingbirds have very little of it, so a laying female has less in reserve. Researchers have seen nesting females eating wood ash and other mineral-rich materials, which they think helps replace the calcium that goes into eggs. In one 1994 study, every bird seen eating ash was a female tending a nest.
It's part of why Pop's Nectar includes calcium and electrolytes rather than sugar alone. Nesting females need extra calcium during egg-laying, and plain sugar water has essentially none. Read more on the research behind it.
Shop Nectarlyte® 8 oz →July: Black-chinned Rebuilds, and the Second Rufous Wave Begins
Black-chinned climbs back statewide, with Reno now its busiest region. Elko's Broad-tailed hits its own local peak in the first week of the month. Reno's Calliope, by contrast, already peaked back in May and is easing down through the summer. And in Clark County, Rufous starts its real, much bigger fall passage — the second of its two annual waves, building steadily through the month toward a peak that won't arrive until late August.
Elko's Calliope also opens its short, reliable window this month. Unlike the statewide and Reno populations, Elko's Calliope numbers are thin enough most of the year that they don't clear this project's bar for a confident season — but from mid-July into late August, the signal is real and worth noting, even if it doesn't carry the same confidence as the map's Black-chinned dates.
| Region | July |
|---|---|
| Elko | Broad-tailed hits its local peak, over 20%, in the first week of the month; Calliope's brief reliable window opens mid-month |
| Washoe (Reno) | Black-chinned climbs past 15%; Costa's brief, irregular late-summer visit begins |
| Clark (Las Vegas) | Rufous's fall wave begins building in earnest |
What to do: Several species sharing feeders in July means squabbles, especially in Clark County as Rufous starts asserting itself. A swing near the feeder gives birds a place to perch and hold territory from, which takes some pressure off the feeder itself.
August: Rufous Peaks in Clark County, and Costa's Brief Reno Visit
This is the biggest month of the year for Clark County's fall migrants. Rufous peaks there in the last week of August, and statewide Rufous follows the same pattern a little lower. In Elko, Broad-tailed is already declining from its early-July peak, while Calliope is doing the opposite — closing in on its own brief, later peak within its short reliable window. Reno's Costa's — genuinely a different bird here than the year-round resident it is in Las Vegas — makes its short, irregular post-breeding-dispersal appearance this month, typically just a few weeks in late July and August, with no reliable arrival or departure date of its own.
| Region | August |
|---|---|
| Elko | Broad-tailed declining from its early-July peak; Calliope nearing its own later, brief peak |
| Washoe (Reno) | Black-chinned peaks locally over 20%; Costa's brief visit continues |
| Clark (Las Vegas) | Rufous's fall wave peaks in the last week of the month |
This is the month to be generous, not economical.
Birds fueling for a long flight need feeders topped up more often — the large 2lb Nectarlyte® powder or the Nectarade® liquid concentrate keeps you from running out mid-surge.
September & October: When the Breeders Leave Nevada
The exit is staggered by species, not just by region. Statewide, Calliope is first out, gone by late August, and Broad-tailed follows by early September. Rufous holds on longer, until late September statewide — though Clark County's fall wave is still substantial through most of September before tailing off fast in October. Black-chinned is the last to leave everywhere it's established: Elko clears earliest, by mid-September, while Reno and Clark County hold Black-chinned into mid-October.
| Region | Black-chinned leaves by |
|---|---|
| Statewide | Mid-October |
| Elko | Mid-September |
| Washoe (Reno) | Mid-October |
| Clark (Las Vegas) | Mid-October |
What to do: Leave feeders up two weeks after your last sighting of a migrant species — it costs nothing and it's what the late-moving birds need most. If you're in Las Vegas or Reno, there's no "taking the feeder down" at all; Anna's and Costa's are there the whole time.
This is the planting month.
Nevada's breeding migrants are gone by mid-October, which leaves the rest of the month for planting. Native wildflower seed needs the cold, moist winter most varieties require to bloom reliably before next year's arrivals.
Shop the Perfect Little Sanctuary® blend →November & December: Only Anna's and Costa's Remain
With every breeder and migrant gone, the season simplifies back down to Nevada's two residents. Statewide, Anna's turns up on nearly one in five checklists and Costa's on nearly one in ten, both in the south and center — in Clark County alone, Anna's is on more than a third of checklists. Reno's numbers are thinner but genuinely present, with Anna's easing through November and becoming scarce by December. Neither species takes any kind of winter break; this is simply what the rest of the year already looked like, continuing.
What to do: Anna's and Costa's never take a winter break in Nevada, so nectar needs to stay fresh and unfrozen right through the coldest months — bring feeders in overnight if temperatures drop hard, and hang them back out at first light.
The Year at a Glance
| Month | What's happening |
|---|---|
| January – February | Only Anna's and Costa's, in the south and center |
| March | Anna's and Costa's peak for the year; Black-chinned arrives in Las Vegas |
| April | Black-chinned reaches Reno; Broad-tailed, Calliope, and Clark's spring Rufous arrive |
| May | Black-chinned reaches Elko, and peaks near 19% of checklists statewide |
| June | Nesting dip, most visible in Clark County |
| July | Black-chinned rebuilds; Clark's fall Rufous wave and Elko's Calliope window both begin |
| August | Rufous peaks in Clark County; Reno's brief Costa's visit |
| September – October | Fast exit — Elko clears first, Reno and Clark a month later |
| November – December | Anna's and Costa's carry on, unchanged, in the south and center |
Frequently Asked Questions
When do hummingbirds arrive in Nevada?
It depends entirely on where you are. In Las Vegas and Reno, there's no arrival to wait for — Anna's and Costa's are already there year-round. Everywhere else, Black-chinned Hummingbird arrives south to north: late March in Las Vegas, late April in Reno, and early May in Elko.
When do hummingbirds leave Nevada?
Black-chinned leaves statewide by mid-October, though Elko clears about a month earlier, by mid-September. Anna's and Costa's never leave the south and center — there's no departure date for either one there.
When should I put my hummingbird feeder up in Nevada?
In Las Vegas and Reno, it should already be up — Anna's and Costa's are present every week of the year. Everywhere else, by mid-March in the south ahead of Black-chinned's late-March arrival, or by mid-April further north.
Does Nevada have hummingbirds in winter?
Yes, in the south and center. Anna's and Costa's are both genuine year-round residents in Las Vegas, and Anna's is present, though much thinner, in Reno too. Elko is the exception — it sees only a handful of scattered winter Anna's records, too few to call a real pattern there.
Why does Clark County get Rufous Hummingbirds twice a year?
Because they're not the same event. A light wave passes through in April on the way north, and a much bigger one comes back through in July and August as birds head south again after breeding elsewhere. The fall wave is the one worth watching for — it runs several times larger than the spring pass.
Which month is best for seeing hummingbirds in Nevada?
It depends on what you want to see. Statewide, Black-chinned peaks in mid-May. In Clark County specifically, late August is the busiest month for variety, when the fall Rufous wave peaks on top of the two residents' usual year-round numbers. If it's Anna's and Costa's themselves you want to see at their best, March is actually their peak month, not August.
Why We Built This Calendar
Pop's Birding has been helping hummingbird lovers for three generations, and "when do hummingbirds arrive and leave my state?" is one of the questions we hear most. For Nevada, that question barely applies in Las Vegas and Reno, where two species never leave at all. We built this calendar to tell the truth for wherever you live: a year-round presence in the south and center, a spring-to-fall season for Black-chinned everywhere else, and a Rufous population in Clark County that passes through twice.
How We Built This Calendar
Every date here comes from eBird checklist data for 2016–2025, read week by week for the whole state and for Elko, Washoe (Reno) and Clark (Las Vegas) counties. Species status was cross-checked against the Nevada Bird Records Committee's Review List and the Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Nevada rather than inferred from frequency alone. Where a regional pattern didn't hold up against the raw weekly numbers, such as an early claim of a winter season for Elko's Anna's, we left it out. The regional comparisons are our own analysis, not a restatement of eBird's charts.
Sources
- eBird bar chart data, Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Nevada statewide, Elko, Washoe and Clark counties, 2016–2025.
- Review List, Nevada Bird Records Committee, Great Basin Bird Observatory — species status, including which rarities the committee still reviews.
- Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Nevada, Floyd et al., Great Basin Bird Observatory (2007) — breeding status and range detail.
- Maintaining and Improving Habitat for Hummingbirds in Nevada and Utah, USDA Forest Service — year-round resident range for Anna's and Costa's Hummingbird.
- des Lauriers, J. R. (1994). Hummingbirds eating ashes. The Auk, 111(3), 755–756. Documents five nesting female hummingbirds eating wood ash; no males were seen doing so in that study.
- Adam, M. D., & des Lauriers, J. R. (1998). Observations of hummingbirds ingesting mineral-rich compounds. Journal of Field Ornithology, 69, 257–261. Source for hummingbirds' greatly reduced medullary bone and for the mineral-rich materials they eat.
- Werning, S. (2018). Medullary bone is phylogenetically widespread and its skeletal distribution varies by taxon. Journal of Ornithology, 159, 527–543. Source for medullary bone being confirmed in hummingbirds.
Know before they arrive
You don't have to keep this calendar taped to the fridge. Insider Birding Access members get seasonal notes timed to your region — when to have feeders out, what the birds are doing right now, and what's worth doing in your yard this season. We take the guesswork out of the calendar. Joining takes about thirty seconds, and there's 10% off your first order in it.
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Shop Nevada's Hummingbird Favorites
Bethany Sloan has served as General Manager of Pop's Birding since 2010, continuing the legacy of her grandfather, William "Pops" Sloan, inventor of the Original Hummingbird Swing. A lifelong hummingbird enthusiast, educator, and independent researcher, she leads the company's educational content, including its 50-State Hummingbird Guide series, Regional Guide, Species Guide and Hummingbird Learning Center. Bethany combines scientific research, regional migration data, and more than 16 years of hands-on experience to create trusted educational resources for bird enthusiasts across North America.
