Summer · June–August

Summer Birds

Summer birds are busy and quieter: cardinals on a second brood, chickadees and titmice eating almost nothing but insects, goldfinches only now starting to nest, and hummingbird males already heading south ³⁴⁵⁶.

The behavior below is from All About Birds species accounts [3–8], feeding advice from Project FeederWatch ², and the state-by-state numbers from eBird records on this site ¹.

Ruby-throated hummingbird at a flower — among summer birds, one whose males leave by early August — Photo: Joe Schneid, Louisville, Kentucky, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Summer birds raising young

Northern Cardinals raise one to two broods a year; clutches of 2–5 eggs hatch in 11–13 days and the young leave after 7–13, fed mostly insects ³. Black-capped Chickadees eat 80–90 percent insects and spiders in spring, summer and fall and raise one brood ⁴; Tufted Titmice eat caterpillars, beetles, ants, wasps, stink bugs and treehoppers in summer, and occasionally a young bird stays to help raise the next year's brood ⁵. Baltimore Orioles feed their young protein-rich insects — beetles, crickets, moths, tent caterpillars — and visit fruit feeders less until late summer ⁶.

Summer birds on their own schedule

American Goldfinches breed later than most North American birds, waiting until June or July when milkweed, thistle and other plants have produced the fibrous seeds they weave into nests and feed to their young ⁷. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are the opposite: pairs stay together only days to weeks, and males may begin migrating by early August while females are still feeding young ⁸.

At the feeder, summer means heat: sugar water ferments rapidly to produce toxic alcohol in hot weather, so change it before it clouds and clean hummingbird feeders every couple of days ²⁸; clean seed feeders every week or two, more often in heavy use, and never let wet seed sit ².

The most seasonal summer birds by state, from eBird

For each state with eBird data on this site, these are the backyard species whose share of June–August records rises most above their year-round share — the birds that are most a summer bird there. Records are eBird checklists reported 2020–2024, retrieved through GBIF.

Florida: Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (2.3× its annual share), Ruby-throated Hummingbird (1.7× its annual share), White-winged Dove (1.7× its annual share), Orchard Oriole (1.6× its annual share)

Arizona: Painted Bunting (3.0× its annual share), Band-tailed Pigeon (2.5× its annual share), Rufous Hummingbird (2.4× its annual share), Indigo Bunting (2.2× its annual share)

California: Clark's Nutcracker (2.7× its annual share), Indigo Bunting (2.7× its annual share), Black-chinned Hummingbird (2.4× its annual share), Mountain Chickadee (2.1× its annual share)

Colorado: Rufous Hummingbird (3.3× its annual share), Calliope Hummingbird (3.2× its annual share), Broad-tailed Hummingbird (2.4× its annual share), Indigo Bunting (2.2× its annual share)

Oregon: Gray Catbird (2.8× its annual share), Lazuli Bunting (2.4× its annual share), Black-headed Grosbeak (2.2× its annual share), Western Tanager (2.2× its annual share)

Tennessee: Indigo Bunting (2.4× its annual share), Ruby-throated Hummingbird (2.4× its annual share), Chimney Swift (2.0× its annual share), Common Yellowthroat (1.8× its annual share)

Texas: Calliope Hummingbird (4.5× its annual share), Band-tailed Pigeon (4.3× its annual share), Painted Bunting (3.2× its annual share), Black-chinned Hummingbird (2.9× its annual share)

Michigan: Indigo Bunting (2.3× its annual share), Cedar Waxwing (2.2× its annual share), Ruby-throated Hummingbird (2.1× its annual share), Common Yellowthroat (1.9× its annual share)

Rhode Island: Chimney Swift (2.3× its annual share), Cedar Waxwing (2.2× its annual share), Laughing Gull (2.1× its annual share), Great Egret (2.0× its annual share)

Summer guides by species

Northern Cardinal in summer →American Robin in summer →Blue Jay in summer →American Goldfinch in summer →Black-capped Chickadee in summer →Tufted Titmouse in summer →House Finch in summer →Mourning Dove in summer →Downy Woodpecker in summer →Ruby-throated Hummingbird in summer →Spring birds →Fall birds →Winter birds →

Frequently asked questions

Why are there fewer birds at my feeder in summer?

Insects: chickadees, titmice, orioles and cardinals switch to insects to feed young, and natural food is everywhere; they return as it thins in fall ³⁴⁵⁶.

When do goldfinches nest?

June or July — later than almost any other North American songbird — once thistle and milkweed have set seed ⁷.