Migration Month
Here or gone? We name a backyard bird and a month. You decide if it's usually around.
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How to play
Choose northern or southern US. For each bird and month, tap Here if the bird is usually in backyards then, or Gone if most have migrated. Ten questions make a round.
Answers follow typical patterns in the eastern and central US. Birds don't read calendars, so arrival and departure dates shift a few weeks from year to year, and we skip the in-between months.
Frequently asked questions
Which backyard birds migrate?
Hummingbirds and orioles leave the US for winter. Juncos do the opposite, arriving from the north in fall. Cardinals, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, and most woodpeckers stay all year.
Do robins really fly south for winter?
Some do, but many stay. In winter they switch from worms to berries and gather in wooded areas, so they seem to disappear from lawns.
When should I put out my hummingbird feeder?
Around early April in the South and late April to early May in the North. Leave it up for two weeks after you see the last one in fall.