Short answer: South Georgia can expect Ruby-throated Hummingbirds by about 15 March. North Georgia runs a few weeks later, around early April. Have a feeder up by about 10 March.
Georgia spans two arrival bands. The coastal plain and the south of the state are in the early Gulf-and-Southeast group; the mountains in the north belong with Tennessee and the Carolinas further inland.
By region
| Part of Georgia | Typical first arrival | Feeder up by |
|---|---|---|
| South Georgia and the coast | by mid-March | 1 March |
| Middle Georgia (Macon, Augusta) | mid to late March | 10 March |
| North Georgia and the mountains | around early April | 25 March |
What you will see
Ruby-throated Hummingbird through the breeding season. Georgia is also one of the states where winter hummingbirds are a real thing rather than a curiosity: the Southeast coast from Cape Hatteras southward increasingly holds hummingbirds year-round, and birds that should be in Mexico turn up at Georgia feeders in December with some regularity.
That is the practical argument for not pulling your feeder down in October here. A winter hummingbird in Georgia has very little else to feed on.
When they leave
Most birds move through between late September and October, with coastal and southern areas holding some birds longer. Numbers often spike in September as migrants from further north pass through on their way to the Gulf.
Practical timing
- Hang a clean feeder by 1 March in the south, 25 March in the mountains. 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 Georgia 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.
Keep reading
- Hummingbird arrival dates for every state
- When to take down your hummingbird feeder
- How to keep ants and wasps off a hummingbird 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.