Tiny birds have no time to waste and baby hummingbirds don’t stay babies for long. That short period in the nest, however, is a critical one. Birders who know how long hummingbird babies stay in the nest can offer the very best safety and support to nurture the next generation of hummingbirds.

Nestling Life for Baby Hummingbirds

After hatching, a baby hummingbird is a “hatchling” or “nestling” that needs continual care and attention from its mother, as father hummingbirds have nothing to do with family life after mating. The mother will keep the nestlings warm and dry, feed them, keep the nest in good shape, stay alert for predators, and otherwise try to ensure her offspring stay healthy and strong as they grow more independent. It is a job that takes constant vigilance until the young birds can safely leave the nest.

The very youngest hummingbirds do not move about much, but within days their feathers start to develop and they grow more alert. They will shift around in the nest, look about, stretch, and of course beg for feeding whenever their mother comes near. Soon nestlings will be strong enough to stand and flutter their wings, and shortly thereafter will attempt short flights and eventually leave the nest.

Different authorities may interchange various words to describe this rapid progression of a baby hummingbird’s early life – chick, hatchling, nestling, fledgling, juvenile – but all of these phases take place in just a few days.

Hummingbird Baby Nestling Times

The exact length of time hummingbird babies stay in the nest varies from just 15 days to as long  as 30 days. Even for a single species, nestling time has a range and can change from year-to-year or even from brood-to-brood in the same breeding season. Typical nestling periods for hummingbirds that breed in the US are…

• Allen’s Hummingbird – 22-25 days
• Anna’s Hummingbird – 19-21 days
• Black-Chinned Hummingbird – 20-22 days
• Broad-Tailed Hummingbird – 21-26 days
• Calliope Hummingbird – 18-21 days
• Costa’s Hummingbird – 20-30 days
• Ruby-Throated Hummingbird – 18-22 days
• Rufous Hummingbird – 15-19 days

Several different factors can impact exactly how long any individual nestlings stay in their nest. In hotter climates in mid- or late-summer, the birds may mature more quickly and be ready to leave the nest earlier. In cooler areas or for nests earlier in the season, the baby birds may stay comfortably in the nest for slightly longer.

When hummingbirds have access to excellent nutrition, including nectar-rich flowers, clean feeders filled with appropriate nectar, and plentiful insects, they can mature more quickly and grow strong enough to leave the nest more quickly. Poor nutrition, of course, can have the opposite effect and the baby birds will stay in the nest slightly longer.

Hummingbirds that have more strenuous, longer migrations may mature more quickly, while hummingbirds that stay in the same region year-round may stay in the nest longer without any stress to set off on their journeys.

Each of these factors may have minimal impact on hummingbird nesting periods and how long babies stay in the nest, but overall, the birds mature within their known nestling periods.

Once They Leave the Nest

Even after baby hummingbirds are big enough to set out on their own, they do tend to stay nearby the nesting site for another week or two. During this time they’re gradually learning more about the outside world and growing stronger, building endurance for longer flights.

While young hummingbirds are learning more about their world and exploring the territory beyond the nest, it is important to have fresh, clean food and secure shelter available so they quickly discover just how safe a yard or garden may be. Hummingbirds have amazing geographic memories and once they learn about prime hummer-friendly real estate, they will return year after year to raise more generations of baby hummingbirds.