Short answer: Pennsylvania can expect Ruby-throated Hummingbirds by about 20 April statewide. Have a clean feeder up by around 10 April.
Pennsylvania is one of the more straightforward states — it sits almost entirely within a single arrival band, alongside New York, New Jersey’s north, Connecticut and southern New England. Elevation is the main thing that shifts it locally.
By region
| Part of Pennsylvania | Typical first arrival | Feeder up by |
|---|---|---|
| Southeast (Philadelphia, Lancaster) | by 20 April, sometimes a few days earlier | 10 April |
| Central and western Pennsylvania | by 20 April | 10 April |
| Higher elevations (Poconos, Laurel Highlands, northern tier) | a few days to a week later | 15 April |
What you will see
Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Pennsylvania is solidly inside its breeding range, and the birds you see in June are nesting locally rather than passing through.
When they leave
September into early October. Numbers often peak in late August and early September as juveniles and birds from further north move through — which is frequently the busiest your feeder gets all year, and the worst time to take it down.
Practical timing
- Hang a clean feeder by 10 April. Males arrive roughly a week ahead of females, and the first bird through is scouting. An empty feeder on that day is a yard he does not come back to.
- One part white sugar to four parts water. No red dye, no honey, nothing else. See the nectar recipe.
- Keep it clean. In warm Pennsylvania weather, change the nectar at least twice a week — every other day is better once it gets hot.
- Leave it up about two weeks after your last sighting in fall. The late birds are usually stragglers from further north, not your summer regulars.
Elevation beats latitude here
In Pennsylvania the hills matter more than the map. A yard at 2,000 feet in the northern tier can run a week behind a yard at the same latitude in a river valley. If you are up high, use the later date and do not worry when your neighbours in the valley report theirs first.
Keep reading
- Hummingbird arrival dates for every state
- Native plants that attract hummingbirds, in bloom order
- Why hummingbirds stop coming to a feeder
Sources
- National Audubon Society — When to Expect Hummingbirds at Your Feeders and Flowers This Spring
- Avian Report — regional arrival and departure analysis drawing on Cornell Lab of Ornithology range data, eBird records and banding studies
- Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute — nectar recipe and feeder guidance
Last reviewed: October 2026. These are typical windows, not fixed dates — first sightings shift by a week or more with the weather. We are building the 2027 map from reader reports, so if you see one, tell us the date.