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If you love watching hummingbirds visit your yard, you may wonder whether to keep your hummingbird feeder filled with nectar through the winter or take it down until spring.

My initial thought was that keeping a hummingbird feeder up through the colder months would stop these beautiful birds from migrating, but is this really true?

The pattern of migration

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

During the summer, hummingbirds can be spotted across North America, but most head south to migrate after the breeding season.

I assumed hummingbirds migrate to find rich-nectar flowers and tiny insects that keep them fuelled, but the truth has more to do with daylight.

Hunger alone doesn’t make them fly south. Their internal biological clocks recognize changes in daylight hours, triggering hormonal shifts that drive them south.…