Hummingbird Feeders

Hummingbird feeders provide 2 functions:

1. They provide hummingbirds with an alternate source of food/energy.
   

2. They provide humans with an alternate source of entertainment.

Turn off the TV, get yourself a hummingbird feeder, and be entertained by the live action-adventure episodes right outside your back yard!

Below is a great video of female and male ruby-throated hummingbirds feeding:

Of course planting flowering annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees is a good way to attract hummingbirds. But the advantage of feeders is that they will bring the birds to a specific location of your choice where you can observe them up close.

Choosing a Feeder:

Vacuum
A vacuum feeder has a container that drains the nectar into a reservoir with feeding ports. A vacuum is created at the top of the container when it is turned upside-down, keeping the sugar solution from flowing out of the feeder ports.

All vacuum feeders can drip. This most often occurs when the solutions is heated during the day. The increasing temperature causes the solution to heat & expand, forcing some nectar out the feeding ports, where ants, bees, & wasps can get to it. This can be avoided somewhat if the feeder is placed in a cooler, shady location. They also can drip if they swing and are tilted on windy days.

These feeders are essentially drip-free unless tipped because the horizontal reservoir is below the feeding ports instead of above as in vacuum feeders.

A saucer-style feeder has a low profile which is an advantage if your feeder will be exposed to wind often.

So which style should I choose?
As far as hummingbirds go, they'll feed from either design. What may be more important are other factors such as

• easy cleaning
• durability
• transparency
• pest deterrence

There are lots of inexpensive, durable models of hummingbird feeders to choose from at your local stores. When you are selecting your feeder make sure that it will be easy to clean, refill, and has a clear reservoir for you to easily see how full or empty it is.

You don't want a feeder that has a lot of intricacies or hard to reach places that will be difficult to clean. Nor one that is difficult to open & refill without leaking sticky, sugar-water all over you & your kitchen.

Those decorative ones sure are pretty, but may be too hard to clean. And if they don't have clear, transparent reservoirs you'll have a difficult time seeing how full it is, or if the solution is going bad (getting cloudy).

So try out feeders in the store - take them apart and pretend they're full of sticky, sugar-water & see how easily they are to open & clean. If it's too difficult to clean, it won't get done & the hummingbirds will be the ones who suffer the consequences. Don't put up a feeder if you don't have time to clean it.

Bee guards are also a nice feature to look for when choosing (see "pests").

Perches or no perches? There are no perches on flowers for hummingbirds to use when feeding (hence hovering). But wouldn't you rather sit than stand when eating?

Perches give hummingbirds a break and give you a closer look. Rather than seeing their wings as a blur, you will see more details as they sit & sip. Perches may encourage other birds to visit as well (see "other birds").

As far as size goes, choose a smaller one at first. There is no need to get a huge one, because your feeder only needs to hold no more than a few days of nectar (see "cleaning"). If your visitation increases, and your reservoir needs daily refills, then you may want to go with a bigger feeder or just put up several small ones.

Making Your Own Nectar

Natural Nectar Composition

Flower nectar is digested and quickly converted into energy, supplying a hummingbird's carbohydrate requirements.

The sugar in flower nectar is primarily sucrose, like that of white sugar. So don't use honey in your feeder, which is primarily composed of fructose & glucose. Hummingbirds can't digest it as efficiently. Fermentation & mold growth also occurs faster in honey solutions than those made from granulated sugar. This mold (fungus) can give the hummingbirds a fatal tongue infection. Do not use artificial sweeteners either which provide no calories (no energy).

Natural Nectar Sugar Concentrations

Sugar concentrations of bee-pollinated flowers regularly exceed 35%, but hummingbird-pollinated flowers typically have more dilute nectars (Bolten et al. 1979).

In their study, McDade and Weeks (2004a) found that 12 species of Neotropical hummingbird-pollinated plants had sugar concentrations that ranged between 16-28% which is comparable to those reported for other hummingbird-pollinated species.

Artificial Nectar Concentration

We say approximate because in reality sugar and water molecules have different atomic weights, which means you can't simply divide to get your percentage by volume alone. A refractometer* (which McDade and Weeks used to measure sugar content of flower nectar in their study) would measure our 1:4 feeder solution as being 18.6% sugar.

Higher Concentrations
Are higher concentrations harmful? No research has shown that higher concentrations are harmful to hummingbirds. In fact, Blem et al. (2000) found that Rufous Hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) preferred a sugar concentration of 50% when presented with solutions varying in concentration from 10-70%.

Lower Concentrations
And what about lower concentrations? The more diluted the nectar, the more consumption of nectar is needed to satisfy a hummingbird's energy requirements. McWhorter and Mart?ez del Rio (1999) found that, depending on sugar concentration, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds (Selasphorus platycercus) consumed volumes of nectar ranging from 1.6 to 5.4 times their body mass per day.

Weaker concentrations are less attractive to hummers & you'll find they may just stop coming to your feeder to find a better, concentrated source.

In addition, because hummingbirds will have to consume more of a dilute nectar to get the same energy from a concentrated one, their bodies will have to work harder. The rate of energy assimilation may be constrained by excess water elimination.

So when making your nectar solution, don't go weaker than the 1:4 ratio of sugar to water.

Store-bought Nectar

And why bother with the dry mixes? They're just sugar (which may have preservatives & colors added as well) that you have to add water to anyway - so just use your own sugar at home and save some $$.

And those mixtures that are fortified with vitamins, minerals, etc. are unnecessary as well. Hummers supplement their diet with insects & spiders and, if necessary, with natural flowers if they aren't getting what they need from your feeder.

To make your solution:

Using a 1:4 ratio, stir 1/4 cup white granulated sugar into 1 cup of boiling water. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Cool & serve. Any leftover nectar can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

As mentioned above, higher concentrations (up to 1:1) can be made, especially during cold migration periods.

Attracting Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds will harvest nectar from flowers of all colors, although they seem to prefer red flowers. Thus, the color of most hummingbird feeders.

The bright red color on most hummingbirds will help with attracting hummers. If you don't have a lot of color in your yard, (i.e. only green grass), then begin to decorate.

To attract visitors, hang up red clothes on the clothesline, get some fluorescent flagging tape and hang it in trees & shrubs. They will come in for a closer look, even if its not flowers. We often have hummingbirds zoom down to our red truck, only to be disappointed that it's not the biggest red flower they ever saw. But once you lure them in with red items, they may stick around & find your feeder.

If you don't have plants that are flowering yet, put up some fake ones around the feeder. Anything brightly colored, especially red and/or orange will help. Red dye in the sugar solution is not necessary. Instead tie a red ribbon or stick red tap on the feeder itself to add color

If you have flowering plants, place hanging or potted plants of bright flowers near the feeder.

Placement of your Feeder

Don't hang it under a tree or under the eave of your roof where they may not be able to spot it as they cruise by your neighborhood.

You many need to place your feeder out in a more open area at first to attract hummers. Once they find your feeder, and are coming to it daily, then you can move it closer to where you can observe them better. Don't worry, they'll find it even though you've moved it. Do your kids stop looking for the cookie jar just because you've moved it to the other side of the kitchen?

Space, Perches, & Cover

Make sure your feeder has enough space around it for hummers to hover easily while feeding - not jammed pack up against the house or shrub, etc.

Hummingbirds prefer feeding locations where there are nearby perches (this is in addition to the perches that already may be on the feeder). Perches in nearby bushes or trees provide a safe place to rest and watch over their food source (the feeder).

They also like to have a clear view of their surroundings and a clear get-away path to nearby cover if a predator should arrive.

Up off the Ground
Place your feeders higher off the ground than lower. Blem and Blem (1997) found that Rufous Hummingbirds occasionally foraged on flowers as low as 15 cm from the ground and as high as 10 m. The former was rare, however. They hypothesized that avoidance of low flowers may reduce risk of predation. Overall, hummingbirds usually preferred elevated sources over those near the ground. Keep your feeder out of reach of cats, at least 6 ft off the ground. Cats kill millions of birds every year.

Shade
Which do your prefer? Sitting under the heat of the sun, with a hot glass of tea on a hot summer day? Or sipping a glass of cool, iced tea under the shade? No- brainer.

Well hummers like their nectar not heated as well. Try to place your feeder in a shady area, for at least the hottest part of the day, if nothing else.

Nectar heated by the sun spoils much faster than cooler, shaded nectar. Additionally, cool locations will prevent the solution from heating & expanding, which sometimes causes the solution to drip out in those upside-down vacuum feeders.

If you just don't have a convenient shady area, you can improvise by creating your own shade for the feeder. Take a plastic red plate, punch a hole in the middle and slide it over the support rod that the feeder is hanging from. Voila! Shade and more red color.

Also place your feeders at the right distance to avoid window collisions.

Cleaning Your Feeder

You should clean your feeders at least every 3 days in hot weather and 6-7 days in cool weather. Otherwise fermentation can occur and mold & bacteria will grow, which can be fatal to hummingbirds. In addition, hummers won't like the taste of the nectar & stop coming to your feeders.

Clean the feeder with a mixture of hot water and a splash of vinegar. The vinegar will help remove any mold & bacteria. You can also use lemon juice or dishwashing detergent - just make sure you rinse thoroughly to remove any residue.

You can also add some rock salt or uncooked rice in the rinse solution and then shake to help dislodge mold from hard to reach places.

Take a toothbrush or bottle brush to scrub any places that have intricate areas where mold or bacteria can accumulate.

Basically, clean your feeder enough so that you would feel comfortable drinking from it.

To recap:

1. Empty reservoir and rinse in a mixture of hot water & vinegar
2. Add rock salt or uncooked rice grains to the rinse & shake to dislodge mold (black scum)
3. Empty feeder and rinse again thoroughly with hot water
4. If mold or any other residue remains, scrub with a toothbrush or bottle brush
5. Refill with nectar solution, hang feeder, and enjoy!

When to put up your hummingbird feeder? When to take down?

Look at hummingbird migration maps to get an idea of when hummers begin arriving in your location, which can be as early as February in the southern U.S. for ruby-throats.

Early travelers migrating north will take advantage of your feeder when flower production isn't as abundant. During this time, hummingbirds often rely on sap produced by sapsucker (woodpecker) holes, insects, spiders, & perhaps even your feeder.

When should I take my feeder down? Keeping a feeder up will not prevent a hummingbird from migrating. Hummingbirds migrate because it is an innate, genetic instinct, not whether or not you keep your feeders out. Factors such as weather, length of daylight, & fat accumulation stimulate migration.

There are some late, migrating stragglers that during cold days and adverse weather conditions will appreciate your feeder along its journey south. As a general rule, wait 2 weeks after the last bird was seen before bringing it in for winter. Rufous Hummingbirds have been reported to linger around in the northeast late into fall & early winter.

For the most part, hummingbirds are rarely dependent upon feeders to survive. If you have a feeder & take it down, don't worry - they won't starve. They'll just find another food source (other feeders, flowers, and/or insects & spiders).

Feeder Pests

Bees

If you have a vacuum feeder that drips, the guards won't help as much because the bees will be able to lick the leaking liquid around the feeding ports.

If you are having a lot of trouble with bees, try switching to a saucer feeder that won't drip. Bees may still be attracted to the smell, but you won't have as many.

As another option, try moving your feeder. Bees and wasps have habitual daily flight routes they follow and you may be able to lose them by moving the feeder. They may never find it in its new location, whereas the hummingbirds will.

If that doesn't work, take the feeder down for a day or two, until you stop seeing bees and wasps. Hopefully, the bees will stop coming to your feeder location, change their route and seek out another nectar source. And don't worry, you shouldn't lose your hummingbirds. They'll come back. They don't give up as easily as bees.

A bee/yellowjacket trap can also bee helpful. We found this one and others seem to agree, a review from G. Erickson:

Read the rest of his review and other positive Reviews for the RESCUE! Yellow Jacket Trap.

Ants

Other Birds

If you do mind, there are some things you can do to prevent them from "sharing". If you purchase a feeder without perches, it will be more difficult for other birds to feed because they can't hover. It's not a 100% deterrent, as some determined birds will acrobatically hang on anything they can to get a sip of sweetness. But it will slow them down and may prevent others from landing who aren't so acrobatically inclined.

You can also put up other feeders for these birds. Put out fruit such as halved apples or oranges, and/or small containers of grape jelly to attract orioles & others away from the hummer feeder.

Hummingbird Fights

Place out several feeders if this becomes a problem for you. Place them where one bird can't guard both from any single overhead perch.

Blem and Blem (1997) found that birds partitioned themselves at different feeder heights in order to have free access without competition.

So try placing several feeders at different heights to keep the dominant one guarding the feeder above while others feed below.

Here are some great deals on hummingbird feeders on eBay:

Hummingbird Information

Hummingbird Gifts

Hummingbird Habitat/Flowers

Hummingbird Migration

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Hummingbird References

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