12-03-2025
When do hummingbirds come to NJ? Check out this migration tracker
Spring is in the air, and for bird lovers across New Jersey, that means one thing: the return of the dazzling hummingbird.
But when exactly will these tiny travelers arrive in our backyards? Well, thanks to an interactive map from Hummingbird Central, we can now follow their journey north in real-time.
It's like watching a real-life nature documentary unfold on your screen, and the anticipation is building as we see them inch closer to the Garden State.
Here's what to know:
Hummingbirds are tiny birds with long bills and small wings, per the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Hummingbirds have various colored feathers, with male birds typically featuring brighter colors.
Hummingbird Central offers the chance to track the migration path of hummingbirds across North America with the 2025 Hummingbird Spring Migration Map. The map is currently updated as of March 11, 2025.
Hummingbirds typically migrate north in the late winter and spring after spending their winters in parts of Central America or Mexico, per Hummingbird Central.
Southern Living, a home and garden website, spoke with hummingbird feeder experts and tested 10 popular feeders for two months. Here's what they found:
Best overall: Aspects HummZinger HighView Hummingbird Feeder
Best budget: First Nature Hummingbird Feeder
Best glass: Bolite Hummingbird Feeder
Best decorative: Grateful Gnome Large Blue Egg Hummingbird Feeder
Best antique-style: Perky-Pet Antique Bottle Glass Hummingbird Feeder
Best metal: Perky-Pet Elegant Copper Hummingbird Feeder
Best window: Kingsyard Window Hummingbird Feeder
Best handheld: Zummr Hummingbird Ring Feeder
Best large: More Birds Big Gulp Hummingbird Feeder
Easiest to clean: Perky-Pet Top-Fill Pinch-Waist Glass Hummingbird Feeder
Here's how to make hummingbird nectar, according to Audubon magazine:
Materials:
1/4 cup refined white sugar
1 cup boiling water
bowl
spoon
Steps:
Mix sugar and boiling water until sugar is dissolved.
Cool and fill feeder.
Hang up your feeder outside and wait for the hummingbirds to come.
Jenna Prestininzi from the Detroit Free Press contrbuted to this story.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Hummingbird migration map 2025: When will they arrive in New Jersey?
