Handy Map Shows When Hummingbirds Return to Missouri & Illinois

I want to be clear that I'm not a hummingbird expert. Far from it. However, I have family that love these birds so it's my assigned job to determine when we can expect them to return to Missouri and Illinois. Fortunately, I found a handy map to answer that burning hummingbird question.

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I saw Only In Your State mention that hummingbirds were in the process of migrating back to Missouri. I decided to do my own bird research to see if that's true. The short answer? Not exactly, but it's not that far away.

I found a website called Hummingbird Central (with a name like that, you'd think they'd know). They shared a map showing when hummingbird sightings were reported in both Missouri and Illinois (and all over the country, for that matter). As of this writing, the birds are staying in the south which is not surprising.

The map from Project Colibris shows that the week of April 16 through April 20, 2023 is the most likely return of hummingbirds based on the migration that happened last year.

The word is that you're more likely to see male hummingbirds before the ladies and please don't ask me to check hummingbird gender. Thanks.

Hummingbird Central says the birds fly during the day and sample food sources along the way. After they arrive in Missouri and Illinois, they'll hang around until Fall starts cooling things off, then it's back to the southern areas again.