How to Get a Hummingbird Out of Your Garage in 4 Steps

Did you know that some species of hummingbird can beat their wings 80 times per second?!

Hummingbirds are cool little birds and when people find that there’s one stuck in their garage, they always want to help it to escape.

Hummingbirds can injure themselves in a garage or die from exhaustion or starvation. Sometimes this happens in just a couple of hours. If you find one in your garage, it’s important to act fast.

This article will tell you everything you need to know about getting a hummingbird out of your garage.

How Do Hummingbirds Get Into Garages?

Hummingbirds end up getting stuck in a garage when they go into one looking for food.

Hummingbirds feed on brightly colored flowers. Anything in a garage that looks like it might be food can attract a hummingbird. Often they mistake the red emergency release handle on a garage door for a trumpet flower. Otherwise, brightly colored paint tins, toys or other objects can attract a hummingbird.

Once a hummingbird is in a garage, it will often panic and fly upwards (and get stuck against the ceiling) or bash against a window as it tries to escape.

Signs You Have a Hummingbird in Your Garage

Most people realize they have a hummingbird in their garage when they go in and see it flying around near the ceiling. Otherwise…

You might hear the hum of a hummingbird coming from your garage.
You might hear it crashing into things or bashing against the window.
You might see it perched somewhere in the garage when you go in there. If you often leave the door open it’s a good idea to look for birds whenever you go into your garage.

How to Get a Hummingbird Out of Your Garage

Before you try to remove a hummingbird that’s stuck in your garage, make sure that your garage is quiet and that there is nothing in there that could be dangerous for it.

Having other people in the garage or anything that makes noise is likely to cause the hummingbird to panic and this will make things more difficult. Anything that could injure the bird, like a ceiling fan, should also be switched off or removed.

As well as doing this, close any doors leading to your house and just have the garage door and any garage windows open. It’s also a good idea to remove any red or brightly colored objects.

1. Lure it Out With a Hummingbird Feeder

If you have a hummingbird feeder then you might be able to use it to lure out the hummingbird.

Turn off the lights in the garage to make the outside more attractive and then hang the hummingbird feeder either just near the garage door or just outside. Hopefully, the hummingbird will be attracted to it and will find its freedom.

Once the hummingbird finds the feeder, you might need to help it by shooing it all the way out. Be careful though to let the bird have a rest before it goes if it needs one. It might also be a good idea to offer it a drink as well.

2. Lure it Out With Some Brightly Colored Flowers

Just like with a hummingbird feeder, you might be able to use some brightly colored flowers to lure out your hummingbird.

Again, hang them near the entrance to the garage or just outside. Then, turn off the lights and then see if the hummingbird flies towards them and finds its own way out.

Again, if it needs one, let the bird have a rest before it goes. Also, if you’re able to then offer it a drink as well.

3. Hold a Rake Up to It

Sometimes people are able to simply offer a hummingbird something to perch on and then carry it towards the door.

The best thing for this is normally a rake, although be careful not to use a rake that has really thin tines because they could injure the bird.

Gently offer the rake up to the bird when it is perched and resting on something. If you’re lucky, the hummingbird will hop onto the rake and just let you carry it out.

Just be careful not to make any sudden movements with the rake that could injure your hummingbird.

4. Darken Your Garage Completely and Catch the Hummingbird

You might be able to catch the hummingbird by making it completely dark in your garage. Hummingbirds don’t like to fly when it’s dark and will often flutter to the floor if you turn off the lights. This will allow you to catch it.

Leave the garage light on and shut all of the doors and windows. Then either close the blinds over the windows or cover them up so it’ll be completely dark when you turn off the lights. Get a flashlight ready.
Next, wait until the bird is hovering over an open area where it won’t injure itself when it lands. Turn off the lights and let the hummingbird flutter to the floor. Use your flashlight to find the hummingbird on the floor and then gently pick it up and release it outside.

It’s important to be really gentle when you’re picking up a hummingbird. Don’t throw a towel over it or do anything that could injure it. Just scoop it up gently in your hands and let it go outside.

Remember that they’re very fragile. Leave it on the ground if it doesn’t fly immediately. Again, you might need to let it rest before it leaves and it might be a good idea to offer it a drink as well.

5. Call a Wildlife expert

If you’ve tried everything and you can’t get the hummingbird out of your garage, then it may be wise to call a local wildlife expert that will get the hummingbird out of your garage with ease.

Free Quote From Local Wildlife Services

How to Prevent Hummingbirds From Getting Into Your Garage

1. Keep the Door Shut

Leaving the door wide open in the summer is how hummingbirds end up finding their way into a garage in the first place. If you’re able to, keeping the door shut will help to stop hummingbirds getting stuck in your garage at all.

Sometimes people need to be able to get in and out of their garage frequently and so need to leave the door open. If that’s you then the next points might help.

2. Remove Colorful Objects From Your Garage

Hummingbirds are often attracted by bright objects that they see in a garage.

Removing brightly colored toys, paint tins or anything that might look like a colorful flower from a long way off might help to stop hummingbirds coming into your garage at all. Red objects are particularly attractive to hummingbirds, so make sure that there are no obvious and bright red objects.

3. Conceal the Emergency Door Release Handle

The red emergency door release handle is often what attracts hummingbirds into your garage.

If you can conceal this from view from outside somehow then this might be really helpful in preventing hummingbirds from coming in in the first place. Some people paint them a different color or replace them completely.

Final Thoughts

Hummingbirds can injure themselves or die quite quickly from exhaustion or starvation when they’re stuck in a garage.

If you can stop them from getting into your garage in the first place that’s the best thing. Otherwise, acting quickly and efficiently will help them to get out without coming to harm.

Check out more articles below to get rid of critters that make their way into your garage: