Do Hummingbirds Feed At Night? [Learn Their Night Routine]

If your feeders are constantly empty in the morning, you might be wondering if hummingbirds feed at night. This is a common question and one we’re going to answer in more detail.

In general, hummingbirds are not nocturnal and will feed during the day. They like to feed heavily in the early hours of the morning and then again in the evening just before they settle down for the night. Of course, they do feed all day but really fill up during these hours.

There have been instances of people seeing hummingbirds feeding at night but this generally only happens in the warmer weather. On rare occasions you might see a hummingbird or two if you have your outdoor lights on. Apart from nectar, hummingbirds also eat plenty of insects as these provide the little birds with protein. So, if you see a hummer flitting around at night, it could be snapping up any insects it can find.

The only other time that hummingbirds may be active during the night is during migration. So, where do hummingbirds go at night?

What Hummingbirds Do At Night

Hummingbirds have a very high metabolism which is why they need to feed frequently to replenish their energy. Even while feeding, you’ll often see a hummingbird hovering and still madly beating its wings.

In order to survive throughout the night, a hummingbird needs to conserve its energy as much as possible. Otherwise, it would starve.

For this reason, hummingbirds go into a type of hibernation every night as they go to sleep. This state of hibernation is called Torpor. In order to achieve this, a hummingbird will lower its metabolic rate to around 1/15 of its normal active rate.

Hummingbirds will also drop their body temperature and their heartbeat to around fifty beats per minute. They even slow down their breathing quite significantly. This allows the hummingbird to conserve around 60% of the energy it normally expends.

To ensure their safety while in this state of Torpor, hummingbirds will find nice safe roosting spots deep within the higher branches of a tree. This will also protect them from the elements if the temperature starts to drop.

During this time, a hummingbird may even hang upside down from the branch of a tree. It usually takes around twenty minutes or more for hummingbirds to wake up from their state of hibernation.

Once fully awake, the first thing a hummingbird will do is feed. This is to replenish the energy lost during the night. In fact, a hummingbird will consume around twenty-five percent of its daily intake in the early hours of the morning.

Why Do Some Hummingbirds Migrate During The Night?

Some species of hummingbird have to travel long distances during their migratory journey. For example, the Ruby Throated hummingbird has to fly over the Gulf of Mexico.

This is quite a long journey for the little hummers. And, when they fly over the water, there’s nowhere for them to land and have some sleep. For this reason, they must continue flying for at least part of the night.

To be able to take this journey successfully, the hummingbirds will have an enormous feed before taking off. In fact, they will double their weight to ensure that they’ll have enough energy for the very long flight.

Do Hummingbirds Have Good Night Vision?

Because they’re not naturally nocturnal birds, hummingbirds don’t have very good night vision. This is another reason why they don’t generally feed at night unless they’re in an area with bright artificial lighting.

And remember, if they are migrating during the night, they really don’t need to see where they’re going because their migratory path is part of their natural instinct.

Do Mother Hummingbirds Leave The Nest At Night?

A mother hummingbird will not leave the nest at night because she has to keep the eggs warm, especially if the temperature starts to drop.

Even during the day, the mother hummingbird will only leave the nest for very short periods of time so that she can feed and keep up her own energy.

Will Hummingbirds Sleep Together To Keep Warm?

Hummingbirds prefer to sleep alone at night and don’t need to huddle together to keep warm. Remember that their state of torpor allows them to drop their body temperature to conserve energy.

In fact, hummingbirds are generally quite solitary. So, while you might see a few hummingbirds spending the night in the same tree, they’re generally spaced well apart from each other.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Do hummingbirds fly around at night?

Hummingbirds will fly at night but only during their migration.

What could be draining my hummingbird feeder at night?

If you wake up to an empty hummingbird feeder in the morning, the likely culprits could be bats, raccoons, squirrels and even bears.

Why does my hummingbird feeder empty so quickly?

This could be the result of other songbirds drinking at your feeders. If the feeding ports are large enough, your feeders could be attracting finches or orioles.

Final Thoughts

As a general rule, hummingbirds don’t feed at night. They like to conserve their energy and get some sleep. However, you might see the occasional hummer hovering around in the evening if you have bright artificial lights. This is because the bird is catching the insects that might be attracted to the light.

The only other time that hummingbirds may be active during the night is during migration. This is because certain species of hummingbird have to fly over long stretches of water. During this time, they won’t have any place to land and bed down for the night, so they’ll just keep going.

Hummingbirds also don’t have good night vision as they’re not naturally nocturnal. Instead, they find a nice cozy spot high up in the branches of a well-sheltered tree and go into a deep sleep or a state of hibernation.

Then, once the sun starts to rise, they’ll wake up from their slumber and head to the nearest source of nectar so that they can replenish their energy.