Hummingbirds will not fly with hummingbirds but, in some occasions they may brush paths with a mixed flock that is journeying in the same direction. However, as these birds are solitary migrators they will rarely, if ever, fly south in a flock full of other hummingbirds.

With that being said there are a few rare instances when they may be in pairs or in a small group for example when showing juveniles the rope or when in the middle of being courted so, if you want a deeper look into why that would be the case continue reading.

Why Don’t Hummingbirds Fly In Flocks?

The main reason why hummingbirds don’t fly in flocks is due to the fact that they are solitary migratory birds, whether it be actually journeying to warmer climates, raising their chicks from young and even when searching for food to consume.

Hummingbirds, like most birds have a very fast metabolism so, taking into account how they are almost always flying and need food multiple times an hour to sustain their activity, flying in flocks wouldn’t make too much sense as sourcing for food whilst also trying to look after the flock would not be practical.

With that being said this doesn’t mean that hummingbirds won’t suddenly find themselves in the midst of small random flocks or in the case of the females, flying around with their kin when showing them the ropes of living once the juveniles start living on their own.

Do Hummingbirds Fly In Mixed Flocks?

Hummingbirds can occasionally join a flock of mixed birds but, it isn’t something they do on the regular. When taking into account how long their journey south (or North) can be, ranging anywhere from 500 – 3000 miles, hummers need to make their way their as efficiently as possible.

This is because hummingbirds use up a lot of energy when moving and when you take into account their extremely small frame as well as their light weight nature. Therefore, occasionally they could find themselves in the midst of a mixed flock to limit the wind drag and reduce the potential energy that would be used up otherwise.

On the other hand your typical hummingbird will keep closer to the ground just in case they need to fuel up more when making their journey, especially those travelling thousands of miles when migrating.

Do Hummingbirds Fly South Together?

No, hummingbirds do not fly south together. Usually what would happen is that the males would journey to their desired warmer climate first, with female hummingbirds and juvenile hummingbirds generally following suit a few weeks after.

The main reason why male hummers start their journey first is down to hummingbirds being polygamous which simply means they don’t not spend any time at all raising new hummers to continue their legacy.

Instead, they tend to leave multiple days or weeks beforehand to find territory within which they will prepare to court another hummingbird once they’ve arrived.

In this phase they’ll do a number of things to win the female hummers favour from singing, dancing or flying back and forth. After the courting has been done they’ll just up and leave, maybe look for another partner or find some nectar to feed on to recover their energy.

What Does It Mean When Two Hummingbirds Fly Together?

When two hummingbirds are flying together, it’s likely that one bird is trying to court the other.

This dance would typically be performed by the male who would be soaring, diving, flying backwards and forwards in an attempt to swoon their potential mate.

Normally this wouldn’t take too long specifically as it is likely that the male prepped weeks before for this opportunity.

Once the male and female decide to fly together, the mission of the male would be near its endgame, which of course is to procreate. They may even look for another female hummer to mate with.

Female hummingbirds on the other hand will start building a nest in preparation for their new born chicks that they’ll be looking after for around 2 – 3 month period before making their next migration back up in the warmer seasons.

Summary

Hummingbirds aren’t birds that stay together in flocks, instead they’re solitary and only in very rare occasions will the fly along with other hummingbirds or mixed flocks.

The majority of the time they will be lower to the ground in search of flower beds to sip nectar from, make their way towards a feeder to consume some sugar water or capture small insects around them.

Although it isn’t quite the same as a flock, mother hummingbirds will also fly around with their newly hatched juveniles showing them what they will need to do once they are let loose.

Besides that and the mating dance where two hummers may fly along together, hummingbirds will rarely if ever join a flock when flying or migrating.