Migration calendar

Spring migration in Florida

Florida receives migrants returning from the Caribbean and South America along the Atlantic Flyway, plus trans-Gulf birds that drift east. The Keys and Dry Tortugas act as the first landfall after open water.

Migration window: Early March to mid-May
Peak: Early to late April
Hardiness zones: USDA 8a–11b

Arrival timing

Purple Martin

Scouts from mid-January in the south; February in the north

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Late February–March, earlier in the south

Warblers, buntings and tanagers

Late March through early May, peaking in April

Hotspots

Fort De Soto Park — Pinellas County; famous for April fallouts.
Dry Tortugas National Park — Remote islands concentrating exhausted migrants.
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge — Big Bend coast stopover.

Prepare your yard

Open martin housing by mid-January in south Florida and early February in the Panhandle.
Native fruiting shrubs such as firebush and wax myrtle give migrants quick fuel.
Keep feeders clean in the warmth — mold develops fast in humid weather.

Follow nightly migration intensity forecasts on BirdCast to time lights-out nights and feeder refills.

Backyard birds in Florida

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Carolina Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Carolina Wren Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Orchard Oriole Pine Siskin Indigo Bunting Painted Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird House Sparrow European Starling Rufous Hummingbird Fox Sparrow Eurasian Collared-Dove White-winged Dove

Frequently asked

When does spring migration peak in Florida?

Songbird migration peaks in April, with fallouts at coastal parks like Fort De Soto during cold fronts.

When do Purple Martins arrive in Florida?

The first scouts typically appear in mid-January in south Florida, with main colonies filling in February and March.

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.