Discovering Hummingbirds After Dark: (Where they sleep)

Every evening, my feeders are heavily visited by many hummingbirds who are simultaneously filling their bellies before retiring for the night.

That made me wonder where all those hummingbirds go to sleep for the night. Do they sleep together like chickens? Do they sleep in nests like many breeds of birds? Do they sleep upside down like bats? Do they sleep in the same place every night?

This article shares the information I learned regarding the questions above.

Where do hummingbirds sleep?

Hummingbirds sleep on the downwind side of sheltered trees on branches with foliage that protects them from cold winds and the elements after sunset. They enter torpor, which significantly reduces their metabolism.
The exception is the nesting hummingbird mother, who sleeps in the nest with her babies.

Hummingbirds, those enchanting aerial acrobats, hold a secret nighttime routine that is just as captivating as their daytime displays.

After their bellies are full and the sun begins to set, these tiny birds retreat to cozy, sheltered spots among the leaves and branches of trees and bushes to protect themselves from the elements and predators.

Since hummingbirds require an intake of nutrition every 20 minutes, one would wonder how they survive through the night.
To counteract this dilemma, the hummingbird has the ability to go into torpor, a condition different from sleep where metabolism slows down and their body temperature falls during this type of mini-hibernation.

Read my article:
Hummingbird Slumber: The Secret to Conserving Energy at Night.

Now, you might be wondering where exactly they find these nightly hideaways. Hummingbirds have a preference for trees like oak, birch, and poplar. These trees offer ample sheltered spots in their abundant branches and leaves.

Their solitary nature extends to their sleeping habits with isolated roosting.
The exception is the nesting hummingbird mother who sleeps in the nest with her babies.

Although hummingbirds are not typically nocturnal, there are some exceptions:

• During the migration season, some brave souls undertake nighttime flights crossing the Gulf of Mexico.
• In warmer climates or areas illuminated by artificial lights, you may spot a few night feeders. Still, this behavior is rare and more of an exception than a rule.

The next time you marvel at these jewel-like creatures flitting around during the day, know that they have their own nighttime routine.
As the sun dips below the horizon, hummingbirds find their hidden spots among the trees, embracing the magic of torpor and ensuring they wake up refreshed and ready to paint the sky with their dazzling displays once more.

Do hummingbirds sleep upside down?

Hummingbirds do not intentionally sleep upside down, but during torpor, they can loose their balance and fall into an upside-down position.
In this state, they tightly grip their perch and remain hanging this way for the rest of the night until they awaken.

Hummingbirds enter torpor, a deep sleep-like state, to conserve energy during the night. In this state their metabolic rate and body temperature drop significantly, allowing them to survive periods when food is scarce or weather is unfavorable.

A hummingbird’s heart races at a staggering 1250 beats per minute while active.
During torpor, however, it slows down to a mere 50 beats per minute!

Same as adult hummingbirds, even baby hummingbirds, whether they are hatchlings or fledglings, enter a state of torpor at night.

Read my article:
Moonlit Magic: Baby Hummingbirds at Night

When in torpor, hummingbirds are not exerting any energy to maintain their balance.

This upside down movement will not cause them to fall or awaken. Their feet are clinging so firmly; they will keep sleeping upside down until they recover from torpor.

There are reported sightings of hummingbirds entering torpor while feeding and hanging upside down. This happens when a hummingbird fails to find a safe place to perch for the night after trying to fill their reserves before sunset.

Just leave a hummingbird alone if you notice it perched upside down on your feeder. Most likely, it is dormant and will awaken on its own. You might wish to move it to a safer location in the unusual event that it falls to the ground.

It takes hummingbirds as little as 20 minutes in warm weather to 1 hour in cold weather to fully recover from torpor.

Read my article:
Hummingbird Slumber: The Secret to Conserving Energy at Night.

Do hummingbirds sleep in nests?

Hummingbirds do not sleep in nests except during the breeding season where females incubate eggs or warm hatchlings.
Hummingbirds generally perch solo on a tree or bush limb when sleeping.

Unlike many bird species that settle into cozy nests for a restful night, male hummingbirds avoid nest sleeping at all times.

Instead of sleeping in nests, hummingbirds find a sheltered spot such as a branch or a dense area on the downwind side to enter torpor when it is time to sleep.
Torpor is a deep, energy-conserving sleep that allows these small birds to survive the night with minimal energy expenditure.

Females build nests primarily for breeding and raising their young. The female builds a nest when she is ready to lay her eggs. To ensure that her eggs and or hatchlings do not get cold or are not a victim to predators, the female hummingbird will constantly stay in her nest including the night with the exception of leaving the nest to feed and bring food back to the hatchlings.

Hatchlings, not ready to become fledglings, sleep in the nest constantly. The female hummingbird will sleep close to the nest but not in the nest when she sees that her babies are close to becoming fledglings.

After the fledglings are successful, they will perch and sleep close to the nest but not return to the nest at night to sleep.

Therefore, the general rule of thumb is that hummingbirds perch and torpor at night and do not sleep in a nest unless it is a hatchling, a fledgling-to-be, or a mother caring for her babies.

Do hummingbirds sleep in the same place every night?

Hummingbirds generally do not sleep in the same place every night with the exception of female mothers incubating their eggs, warming their hatchlings or young birds that have not yet fledged.
For the next 3-4 weeks, both mothers and fledglings perch near the nest.

Once they fledge, the fledglings may roost close to the nest where they hatched and spent the past 3 weeks growing, but will not return to the nest.
The mother hummingbird will roost in the area close to her fledglings for the next 3 weeks while she feeds and secures their safety.

Hummingbirds have an amazing memory. They can remember every flower they last visited as well as their previous roosting locations during migration, which can cover up to 3,000 miles.

During the migration seasons they perch in different locations because they are traveling to new locales daily.
In these circumstances, they may in fact remember areas or trees that they had previously perched and return to the same spots for the night.

During periods of non-migration, they use this remarkable memory to earmark safe places they have previously perched. 

Although they do not sleep in the same place every night, they do remember the bush or tree from the night before and may return to perch in the vicinity or on a different branch from their previous location.

Their nighttime perching choice will be affected by their memory, weather, food availability, and environmental conditions.

Read my article:
Hummingbird Adaptation and Remarkable Ability to Locate Food

What time do hummingbirds go to bed?

Hummingbirds go to bed at dusk, shortly after sunset.
In the USA, sunset on the shortest day (winter solstice) is as early as 4:20 PM, while on the longest day (summer solstice), it can be as late as 9:11 PM.
They adjust their routine to the available daylight, entering rest or torpor overnight.

Twilight, evening, and sundown are alternative ways to describe “dusk,” the time just after the sun has set.

The time of year, geographical location, and current environmental factors will affect a hummingbirds bedtime.
The exact bedtime will vary daily as the daylight becomes longer or shorter throughout the year.

Hummingbirds, being diurnal (active during the day), align their bedtime with the circadian rhythm and daylight.

At dusk, as daylight fades, they prepare for rest by feeding intensively to fuel their high metabolism.
Once fed, they find a safe, sheltered spot to settle for the night, conserving energy in a state of torpor.

Most hummingbirds begin the nighttime routine shortly after sunset however it is possible to see hummingbirds jetting around after dark as they look for a suitable protected location for the night.

Happy Hummingbird Watching

Check out my other posts on Hummingbird Questions