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a hummingbird hovering over an orange flower — The team at Birmingham’s Wild Birds Unlimited stores are knowledgeable + equipped to help you upgrade your hummingbird setup. (Unsplash)

Weighing less than a nickel and capable of beating their wings dozens of times per second, hummingbirds are among the most tiny yet fascinating visitors to Alabama backyards.

The good news? If you live in Alabama, there’s a good chance hummingbirds are already nearby—and with a few simple steps, you can create a welcoming habitat that keeps them coming back all season long.

Here’s what to know about local hummingbirds, best tips and what you need to get started.

About Alabama’s native hummingbirds

Hummingbird 20220911 174029 2 Love hummingbirds? Here are 4 ways to attract more to your yard — Alabama birders can attract more hummingbirds by creating a backyard habitat with nectar-rich native plants. (Cliff Martin / Bham Now)

If you’ve seen a hummingbird in Alabama during the spring or summer, it was almost certainly a ruby-throated hummingbird.

According to the Alabama Audubon, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds spend the winter in Mexico and Central America before migrating north to breed. They typically begin arriving in Alabama in March and remain throughout the summer as they nest and raise their young. By fall, they begin their journey south again, with numbers declining noticeably by October.

However, birders may occasionally spot a few surprises during the winter months, including:

Rufous hummingbird
Black-chinned hummingbird
A small number of overwintering ruby-throated hummingbirds

Fun fact: The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the only hummingbird species that breeds in Alabama!

4 ways to attract hummingbirds to your yard

1. Plant native flowers

A bunch of white and yellow flowers on a tree — Honeysuckle is highly attractive to hummingbirds, providing natural nectar and serving as a host to other pollinators like bees and butterflies. (Alexandria Szakacs / Unsplash)

One of the best ways to attract hummingbirds is by providing natural nectar sources. According to Alabama Audubon, some favorite native plants include:

Coral honeysuckle
Cardinal flower
Crossvine

These colorful blooms provide nectar while also supporting other pollinators like butterflies and native bees. Here are some local nurseries our friends at Wild Birds Unlimited recommend:

2. Regularly clean + replace hummingbird nectar

PNG 00006059 Love hummingbirds? Here are 4 ways to attract more to your yard — Regular feeder maintenance is essential for attracting hummingbirds throughout Alabama’s hot summer months. (Wild Birds Unlimited)

A hummingbird feeder can be a great supplement to natural food sources. You can always purchase nectar, but the recipe is surprisingly simple:

4 parts water
1 part plain white sugar

Mix until dissolved, allow it to cool and fill your feeder! It doesn’t need to be boiling, just hot enough for sugar to dissolve.

During Alabama’s hot summer months, be sure to keep an eye on your syrup and remove any mold, and replace the nectar every few days. Old water and dirty feeders can make them sick and can potentially be fatal.

3. Keep cats indoors

IMG 3507 Love hummingbirds? Here are 4 ways to attract more to your yard — Did you know the Smithsonian Institution and the US Fish & Wildlife Service estimated that domestic cats kill about 2.4 billion birds each year? Beware of this apex predator… (Grace Howard / Bham Now)

It’s one of the simplest conservation actions homeowners can take!

Even well-fed outdoor cats can have a significant impact on bird populations. Keeping cats indoors helps protect hummingbirds and countless other native bird species.

4. Create a safe environment

project safe flight alabama Audubon bird — Alabama Audubon’s Project Safe Flight has installed bird-safe window markers to local buildings and businesses across Birmingham. (Bham Now)

One of the biggest threats hummingbirds face is window collisions, which are the second leading cause of bird deaths in North America. Birds often don’t recognize glass as a barrier, instead seeing reflections of trees, shrubs or sky.

According to Alabama Audubon, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are among the most common species documented during its Project Safe Flight monitoring efforts. To help prevent collisions, consider applying bird-safe window markers such as ABC Bird Tape, Feather Friendly or Acopian Bird Savers to the outside of your windows.

You can also reduce the risk by:

Placing bird feeders within three feet of windows to minimize impact speed and near shrubs for added shelter from predators.
Turning off outdoor lights between 11PM and 6AM, especially during migration seasons. If lights must remain on, use downward-facing fixtures, timers or motion sensors to reduce disorientation for migrating birds.

Support + protect your local Alabama hummingbirds

wildbirdsunlimited 1 Love hummingbirds? Here are 4 ways to attract more to your yard — Wild Birds Unlimited offers feeders, native plant advice and birding resources to help Alabama residents attract hummingbirds. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

As hummingbirds move from flower to flower feeding on nectar, they also help pollinate plants, supporting healthy ecosystems across Alabama. By planting native flowers, maintaining clean feeders and creating safer spaces around your home, you can help ensure these remarkable birds continue thriving for generations to come.

Ready to get started, or have more questions? The team at Wild Birds Unlimited can help you build a setup that fits your space and point you toward the right feeders and supplies to get started. It’s also a great way to plug into a community of fellow bird lovers in Birmingham.

You can find them at two Birmingham-area locations: