You won't know if you don't ask
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Sitting on my porch this morning while enjoying the first of my daily dozen coffees I realized that I hadn’t spotted a male hummingbird for the past week or so. Huh. So I posed the question to Gemini AI:
“Here in Maine, mid-August, I notice that I’m no longer seeing male ruby throated hummingbirds at my feeder, only females. Do the males head south first, earlier than the females, or is this just a random quirk in observation?”
Answer:
That's an excellent observation, and you've hit on a fascinating and well-documented aspect of hummingbird migration.
You are correct: adult male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are the first to head south in the fall.
Here's a breakdown of the typical migration order:
Adult Males: They are the first to leave, often as early as late July and into August. Since they are not involved in raising the young, their reproductive role is complete by this time. By leaving earlier, they reduce competition for food with the females and juveniles, who need to gain weight before their own journey.
Adult Females: They follow the males, usually a couple of weeks later. They are busy raising the last brood of the season and need to stay behind to feed the young. Once their parental duties are finished, they will begin to migrate.
Juveniles: The young hummingbirds are the last to leave. They need time to mature, gain strength, and build up the necessary fat reserves for their first-ever long-distance flight.
“So, what you're seeing at your feeder in Maine in mid-August is not a random quirk at all, but a predictable and natural part of the ruby-throated hummingbird's annual migration cycle. The adult males have likely already departed, leaving the females and young to continue feeding and preparing for their own journey south.”
Time to dig out my snow shovel, I suppose.