Get Ready For The Return Of Ruby Throated Hummingbirds In Pittsburgh

Spring has some beautiful annual traditions that not even quarantine can cancel – from the Lyrid meteors that will dart across the sky this April to the return of the hummingbirds in Pittsburgh. In the coming weeks, the ruby-throated hummingbirds will complete their migration from the south, arriving in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Here’s how you can attract them to your yard.

Start prepping your yard for the return of the ruby-throated hummingbirds to Southwestern Pennsylvania. The hummingbirds, in fact, should make their first appearances at the end of April.

Flickr/Eric Kelby

Only one type of hummingbird lives east of the Mississippi River, and that’s the ruby-throated hummingbird, a tiny but mighty bird.

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Ruby-throated hummingbirds measure just under four inches from the tip of their beaks to the tip of their tails. Even more impressive, however, just might be their ability to travel up to 25 miles an hour.

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If you’ve ever seen a ruby-throated hummingbird flap his wings, you probably know his wings flap really quickly. But, did you know they flap their wings an average of 53 times a second?

Flickr/Robert Nunnally

While the return of the hummingbirds in Pittsburgh is still a few weeks away, now is the perfect time to prepare your feeder for your spring and summer guests.

Flickr/JD

Ruby-throated hummingbirds eat a variety of insects and nectar from flowers you might already have in your yard. You can find plenty of affordable and attraction hummingbird feeders online.

Flickr/Ken Gibson

A feeder doesn’t have to be expensive. It just has to hold water for the birds. Speaking of water, you’ll add four parts water and one part regular sugar to the feeder. (Pour one cup of sugar into four cups of water, for example.)

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Don’t add red dye to your feeder, and be sure to clean it every few days. Otherwise, it may become moldy, which is dangerous for the hummingbirds.

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The ruby-throated hummingbirds typically remain in the area until mid to late October. Even after you think you’ve seen the last of the season’s hummingbirds, leave the feeder out for a week or two, just in case some birds are still passing through.

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Are you looking for the return of the hummingbirds in Pittsburgh? Do you feed them? Join the conversation in the comments!