Will South Dakota, Iowa & Minnesota See Hummingbirds in Spring?

Goodbye brutal South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota winters....hello sunny springtime!

Soon South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota will see greener grass, bluer skies, longer days, and some woodland creatures waking up from a long winter slumber. But when will the Sioux Empire see our majestic hummingbirds?

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Some might think hummingbirds find a South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota tree to spend the harsh winter days. Surprisingly, hummingbirds fly far away from the cold and migrate south during the winter months.

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Hummingbird Central is a great website to stay up to date with hummingbird movements. Whether you live in the Sioux Empire or neighboring Canada, Hummingbird Central has a team dedicated to documenting hummingbird "charms" (otherwise known as hummingbird groups) across the country.

The tracking of the annual spring hummingbird migration is done with the help of our viewers as they submit their first hummingbird sightings from their locales. The project runs from late January into May each year.

The experts at Hummingbird Central begin tracking the 2025 Hummingbird Spring Migration in late January of 2025.

So when will South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota see the first hummingbirds of the spring season?

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South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota mainly see Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in the springtime. Residents can start to see them in late April into early May. Most Ruby-throated Hummingbirds will leave the Sioux Empire sometime by the end of August. You can track their migration activity here.

In case you want to attract hummingbird charms to your backyard: Hummingbirds' diet is mostly nectar from flowers (red is their favorite color), small insects like aphids and spiders, and sometimes even pollen and sap.

It's a sure sign of spring when hummingbirds return to South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota!

17 Animals You Can Hunt All Year in South Dakota

South Dakota loves to hunt. It's not only one of the state's most popular pastimes, but it's also big business. Especially South Dakota's famous Pheasant season.

There are seasons for hunting deer, antelope, turkey, and even bison. Plenty of opportunities to get that freezer in the garage stocked up.

The South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Department is the place to go for info about hunting licenses and specific rules and regulations for hunting in South Dakota.

GET: South Dakota Hunting and Trapping Handbook

Hunting most game in South Dakota is restricted to specific hunting seasons. Like deer and pheasant seasons in the fall.

But there are also animals you can hunt year-round in South Dakota.

There are still some rules to follow, like where exactly you can hunt. South Dakota has millions of acres of public and private land to hunt on. And you'll still need a hunting license.

So, always check with the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Department for the latest information and regulations.

LOOK: South Dakota Is Home to the World’s Largest Pheasant [PICTURES]

Gallery Credit: Ben Kuhns

10 Cool Things That Make Minnesota...Minnesota!

Minnesota is known for a lot of cool and interesting things. But I'll bet if you asked someone not from the state what they know about Minnesota they'd mention at least a few of these 10 Cool Things That Make Minnesota...Minnesota!