Blog / Hummingbirds

With their iridescent feathers and shimmering wings, hummingbirds bring quick bursts of color into our backyards! Many of us look for brightly colored flowers and feeders when trying to attract hummingbirds. Color can help birds remember food sources, signal danger and even find a mate. But what colors are hummingbirds actually attracted to?

Seeing red

As you look for an attractive hummingbird feeder, chances are you’ll find an abundance of red, red and more red! Why do hummingbirds seem to gravitate towards this fiery color? Researchers have studied to find the answer to this tricky question.

Hummingbird vision

To understand how hummingbirds perceive color, it’s helpful to first think about the color spectrum humans are capable of seeing. Humans have three types of color cones – red, green and blue, allowing us to see all the colors of the rainbow (spectral hues). Nonspectral hues are considered colors seen outside of the rainbow. For example, we can perceive the color purple because it stimulates our red and blue color cones simultaneously.

Hummingbirds have four color cone types in their eyes, creating color possibilities that we can only dream of! Hummingbirds are able to see a variety of nonspectral colors in near UV, including UV+red, UV+green, UV+yellow and purple. And while research has shown that hummingbirds have a heightened sensitivity to the red and yellow end of the color spectrum, they’re also attracted to many more colors that humans can only imagine - so don't let that limit your feeder choices!

Expand your color palette

Now that you understand the range of hues that hummingbirds can see, don’t be afraid to try out new colors and types of feeders that will both attract the birds and beautify your backyard. There are a wide variety of bright and bold styles of hummingbird feeders in pinks, blues, purples, and even greens!

And don't get us wrong - red is a beautiful color that does attract hummingbirds. There’s nothing wrong with going traditional!  

It’s all about the nectar

More important than the color of the feeder is what’s inside of it. Be sure to reward the hummingbirds with sweet homemade nectar and soon you’ll be enjoying regular visits from your feathered friends!

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Setting up a nectar feeder is one of the simplest ways to attract hummingbirds to your yard. Being a responsible hummingbird host can sometimes come with challenges, so we’ve put together the solutions to some of the most common hummingbird feeder questions to help you get the most out of your hummingbird feeder!

Why aren’t the hummingbirds coming to my feeder?

There are a few different factors that could be causing a hummingbird to choose a different source of food. Hummingbirds are migratory birds, meaning they leave and return from a specific area seasonally. As they return from migration and end up in their ultimate destination, they will remember the source of their first meals - oftentimes coming back to the same feeders repeatedly. For the best chance of hummingbirds discovering your feeder, it is recommended to have it up and ready before they return from their winter migration. Be sure to research the migratory pattern of hummingbirds in your area to make sure you haven’t put your feeder out too late, since this can cause them to overlook it later in the season.

One thing to keep in mind is that all birds are creatures of habit. They may be hesitant to try out a new feeder, especially if you have been offering nectar in other feeders – a tried and true food source. It could also take some time for the hummingbirds to get used to a new landing pattern or learn the mechanics of drinking from a new feeding port. It may take several weeks before the hummingbirds find and begin feeding regularly from a new feeder. Before making any changes, try waiting at least two weeks to give them enough time to discover your feeder.

Here are some more tips to help attract birds to your hummingbird feeder:

• Take down other feeders: Hummingbirds may prefer to feed from dependable food sources like existing feeders. If you have other nectar feeders in your yard, try temporarily taking them down until the hummingbirds find and use the new feeder. Once they are regularly using the new feeder, existing feeders can go back up.
• Increase the sugar content: Try slightly increasing the sugar content of your nectar. This will immediately reward the hummingbirds for visiting your feeder and encourage them to come back. Once until the hummingbirds are regularly drinking from your feeder, you can then lower the water to sugar ratio back down to the recommended 4:1.
• Keep it clean: It is recommended nectar feeders be cleaned at least every 4-5 days. To clean, take down your feeder and discard any unconsumed sugar water. Take apart your feeder and flush it with warm water. You must also change the nectar frequently - at least twice a week. If you notice that the nectar is turning milky, or that white strings or black spots are growing in it, change it more often. If you notice any mold, take down the feeder immediately, give it a thorough cleaning and follow the steps below to prevent mold growth on your feeder.
• Change locations: Placing feeders near flower beds or planters may naturally attract more hummingbirds to your feeder. Feeders should be hung or mounted closer than 3 feet from a window or farther than 15 feet from a window to help prevent fatal window collisions.

What should I put in my hummingbird feeder?

The formula for hummingbird food is simple: about one part white granulated sugar to four parts water. Boil the water for approximately 2 minutes, add the sugar, and stir to dissolve thoroughly. We do not recommend adding red dye to the nectar mixture. Cover and allow the nectar to cool before using or pouring into a clean storage bottle. A large batch of nectar can be made and stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. This makes refilling the feeder easy so you won't mind doing it every few days.

How do I keep mold from growing on my hummingbird feeder?

It is inevitable that sugar water will eventually break down and cause mold, fungus, or other harmful bacteria to grow inside of a hummingbird feeder. To prevent mold growth, hummingbird feeders should be taken down and cleaned at least every 4-5 days. To clean, take down your feeder and discard any unconsumed sugar water. Take apart your feeder and flush it with warm water. If mold is present, you can sanitize the feeder by placing all dishwasher-safe parts in the dishwasher for a thorough cleaning. If washing by hand, soak and clean the feeder thoroughly with a solution of ¼ cup bleach to one gallon of water. Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry completely before refilling.

Since mold growth can be accelerated by heat, especially in the warmer summer months, try keeping your feeder in a shaded area. Keeping the nectar cool helps to delay fermentation which is the process that causes nectar to spoil and mold to grow.

How do I prevent bees at my hummingbird feeder?

Bees, wasps, and hornets are hardly welcome guests at any feeder and can be harmful to hummingbirds if stung. Typically, if bees don’t have access to the nectar, they should eventually move on from the feeder to a more rewarding source. Here are some additional tips to help deter the bees:

• Keep it clean: Make sure there is no exposed nectar on or around the outside of your feeder and thoroughly clean it with warm soapy water every 4-5 days at minimum.
• Change it up: Periodically move your feeder. Birds will usually look around and find a relocated feeder, but insects will not.
• Lower the nectar level: If using a dish style feeder, try decreasing the amount of nectar in your in the dish to keep it lower than the feeding ports. This will make it more difficult for bees to reach. Keep in mind that a hummingbird’s tongue is twice as long as its beak so it can easily reach near the bottom of the dish.
• Get in the shade: If the feeder is currently in the sun, try moving it to a more shaded area.

How do I keep ants off my hummingbird feeder?

Although hummingbirds do eat insects, they do not eat ants. The presence of ants on your hummingbird feeder can prevent them from using it, or the ants may enter the feeder and contaminate the nectar which can be harmful to hummingbirds. Here are some ant-proofing tips to try:

• Use an ant moat: Many hummingbird feeders have built-in ant moats, which trap ants in a small cup of water before they have the opportunity to reach the feeder. If your feeder does not come with an ant moat, you may choose to purchase one separately. Be sure to keep it full of water! If the weather is particularly hot and the water is evaporating quickly, check it regularly to prevent it from sitting empty.
  
  

• Keep it clean: Make sure there is no exposed nectar on or around the outside of your feeder and thoroughly clean it with warm soapy water every 4-5 days at minimum.
• Change it up: Periodically move your feeder. Birds will usually look around and find a relocated feeder, but insects will not.
• Get in the shade: If the feeder is currently in the sun, try moving it to a more shaded area.
• Try fishing line: You may try hanging your feeder using fishing line, as it is very difficult for ants to climb. Keep in mind this may not be feasible for heavier feeders.

 Hummingbird feeders with a built-in ant moat:

FEATURED HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS

Handblown glass hummingbird feeders are bright, bold and beautifully made pieces of art that serve as both a feeder and a stunning decoration. But what does it take to craft one of these colorful feeders? Come along as we go behind the scenes with the glassblowing artisans who practice this fascinating process to bring our hummingbird feeders to life!

How it’s made

Glassblowing artisans practice 3-5 years to be able to achieve the unique patterns and designs of our hummingbird feeders. To begin making any piece of glass blown art, a blowpipe is dipped into molten clear glass. The artisan blows air into the opposite end of the blowpipe to form a bulb out of the molten glass.

Depending on the ultimate form and design of the piece, the glass bulb may be colored or treated before eventually being placed into a mold. While inside the mold, the artisan blows air once again to help achieve its shape and to reinforce the integrity of the glass.

After the main piece has been formed, additional features like hooks or handles may be manually crafted and attached using specialty pliers and shears. Every one of our handblown glass feeders are individually hand blown, giving each feeder its own unique and beautiful pattern.

Glass

The type of glass used to make our handblown glass hummingbird feeders is soda lime glass. As its name suggests, soda lime glass contains a few safe and stable chemicals including soda, lime and silica, which allow it to withstand the extreme heat and workability needed for glassblowing.

Unlike painted glass or plastic, our Artisan Collection of glass hummingbird feeders feature actual colored glass, ensuring that the colors remain bold and vibrant for years to come! Different hues are achieved by initiating a chemical reaction in the metallic oxides used to color the glass. The colors are custom made by our factories, making every piece truly unique.

Heat

Applying extreme heat to soda lime glass allows it to be enlarged, treated and manipulated into a finished piece of work. So how hot does the oven need to be in order for the glass to be in a workable state? A glassblowing kiln is approximately 1,380°C/5,416°F which heats up the glass to a temperature of 1,300°C/2,372°F!

Special Effects

Speckle

Our speckled top-fill hummingbird feeders, like the Garden Hummingbird Feeder - Ocean Sunset, feature bright bursts of color that will bring a beautiful accent to your yard. It all begins with individual pieces of colored glass, or frit. After the artisan picks up a mass of molten glass on their blowpipe, it is dipped into a tray full of frit until it’s completely covered. Then, it is placed into a mold help reach its final form.

Swirl

To create the stunning swirls found on the Spring Rain and Sunny Day Artisan Gravity Hummingbird Feeders, one side of the molten bulb is dipped into the frit. Then, the artisan gently drags a special tool through this area to create a beautifully blended swirl of colors.

Crackle

Our elegant crackled Artisan Gravity Hummingbird Feeder - Blush is crafted through a process that ensures durability and integrity by the expertise of talented glass blowing artisans. This unique crackle effect is achieved by submerging a fully formed, but still hot, bulb of glass into water. The glass is then placed back into the kiln to melt the glass again slightly – just enough so that the artisan can ensure the cracks are stable and smooth.

Bubble

The playful bubbles found on the Artisan Gravity Hummingbird Feeder - Teal are formed as a chemical powder is added to the molten glass while still inside the kiln. The bulb is then placed into its mold to help reinforce the integrity of the glass and to help achieve its final shape.

Be sure to check out our selection of Artisan handblown glass hummingbird feeders and add one of these unique and beautifully made art pieces to your backyard!

Spotting a hummingbird in your backyard can be a fleeting but rewarding experience. That’s because hummingbirds do everything in such a hurry that they can be difficult to sight!

Because of their hurried behavior, hummingbirds have been tricky to research and study at length, leading to many misconceptions about how they drink. Did you know that scientists used to believe that hummingbirds used their beaks as a straw? Find out how exactly a hummingbird eats, what their beaks are used for and how much nectar they can consume.

Does a hummingbird have a tongue?

A hummingbird has a tongue that can stretch twice as long as its beak. Their tongues are forked and are lined with lamellae, which are tiny, hair-like barbs that extend outwards as they open their beaks and stick out their tongues. When they retract their long tongue back into their beak, it coils up inside their head, wrapping around their skull. The average hummingbird’s beak can range from 15mm-21mm (.59in-.82in) in length, meaning its tongue can stretch up to 1.6 inches long! [Image credit: Bob Lewis, www.wingbeats.org]

How does a hummingbird drink?

As a hummingbird extends its tongue into a flower, dish or nectar feeder port to drink, the lamellae spread from the forks in their tongue, capturing the nectar by quickly curling back up towards the tongue and trapping it as the tongue fully retracts into their head. Hummingbirds can flick their tongues in and out of nectar as many as 20 times per second!

What do hummingbirds use their beaks for?

If they don’t use their beaks as a straw, then what purpose does a hummingbird’s beak have? Hummingbirds have a flexible lower beak that helps them snatch insects in flight. Some also use their beak for self-defense, often against other hummingbirds for territory assertion. Perhaps the simplest use for a hummingbird's beak is as a protective covering for their tongue.

How much does a hummingbird drink per day?

A hummingbird can consume about half of its body weight in sugar water per day and can feed about 5-8 times per hour.

What do hummingbirds eat?

Have you ever wondered how a hummingbird can live off of sugar water alone? The short answer is - they don't. Even if a hummingbird visits your feeder several times throughout the day, they are often out scavenging for tiny insects and spiders that supply protein and other essential nutrients. A hummingbird’s diet may consist of 50-60% insects. Because of this, we recommend homeowners avoid the use of broad-spectrum pesticides in their yard, as it could potentially eliminate this crucial protein source that makes up a healthy hummingbird diet.

Now that you know more about how a hummingbird drinks, try setting up a hummingbird feeder and filling it with your own homemade nectar!

Because of their small size, quick flight pattern and migratory nature, hummingbirds can be tricky but rewarding to spot. Setting up a hummingbird feeder is one of the simplest ways you can attract hummingbirds to your yard. There are many types of nectar feeders available including saucer, window, gravity and more. With so many possibilities, consider these factors when choosing a hummingbird feeder for your yard.

When are hummingbirds in your area?

Where will you be placing your feeder?

Placing feeders near flower beds or planters may help you attract more birds to your yard. Most hummingbird feeders come with hanging hooks so you can hang them from a pole or tree. You may even consider a feeder with an additional hanging hook built into the bottom, like the So Real 3D Flower Hummingbird Feeder - Pink, so you can connect multiple feeders from top to bottom, increasing amount of hummingbirds you can feed in one location.

For a close-up view of the hummingbirds, you may want to put up a window feeder. Window feeders, like the So Real Window Hummingbird Feeder - Honeysuckle, are built with a suction cup mounting system that attaches directly to your window, giving you a unique opportunity to see these flying jewels up close like never before.

How many hummingbirds do you typically feed in a season?

If you receive only a few hummingbird visitors in a season, you may opt for a lower capacity feeder like the Mason Jar Hummingbird Feeder or the So Real Mini 3D Hummingbird Feeder. Less nectar is needed in these smaller feeders, making it less wasteful for you and fresher for the hummingbirds.

If you regularly feed or sight ten or more hummingbirds in your yard, you may need a large capacity feeder like the Artisan Gravity Hummingbird Feeder - Sunny Day or the So Real Gravity Hummingbird Feeder - Pink Fuchsia. These types of feeders can hold 20+ ounces of nectar, ensuring that you have enough food for all of your visitors.

Which style of hummingbird feeder do you like best?

Nectar feeders come in seemingly endless beautiful, unique and traditional designs. Looking for a durable, hand-blown glass feeder with colors that won’t fade over time? Check out the Garden Hummingbird Feeder - Molten. Or how about a feeder that looks like a real flower, like the So Real series? Give the So Real 3D Flower Hummingbird Feeder – Purple a try. Looking for a classic design? Our Traditional Gravity Hummingbird Feeder is sure to be a favorite for both you and the hummingbirds.

For a unique, decorative design, take a look at the Illuminated Hummingbird Feeder. It comes equipped with a solar-powered LED light that transforms it from a daytime feeder into a beautiful lantern at night!

What features are you looking for in a hummingbird feeder?

It’s important to be a responsible host for your hummingbirds to keep them healthy and safe. Nectar feeders should be cleaned 1-2 times a week, so be sure to choose a feeder that is easy to fill and clean. All Nature’s Way nectar feeders are dishwasher safe with removable parts, making them simple for you to disassemble and clean.

Bees and ants are naturally attracted to the sweet nectar inside a hummingbird feeder, but these insects can create problems for you and the hummingbirds. Many feeders come equipped with a built-in ant moat to deter these frequent feeder pests. If bees are a concern, look for a feeder with a domed bee-resistant design.

What is your budget?

Hummingbird feeders can range from less than $10 up to $30 or more. With a wide variety of features available at every price range, you’re sure to find a feeder with innovative designs at the budget you desire.

Did you know that many songbirds migrate thousands of miles each year? These birds often make the journey during the cover of night. Doing so has several benefits. A large number of bird predators are most active during the day, therefore flying longer distances away from cover at this time makes smaller birds less vulnerable to predation. Skies are often less turbulent during the nighttime, which makes for easier flight with less resistance and energy required for staying on course. Air temperatures are also typically cooler after the sun sets, which can also help endurance - think about running a marathon on a sweltering hot day versus a cool overcast day! Lastly, it's much easier to find food during the day. Birds that migrate during the night hours will then spend daylight hours packing in the calories to regain energy. 

Even migrating at night, these long treks are still fraught with danger, and a number of birds do not make it. Unfortunately, humans have also added another threat to migratory birds: light pollution. Light pollution is the brightening of the night sky due to artificial causes such as building and street lights. 

Why is light pollution bad for birds?:

• Light can disrupt a bird's circadian rhythm (the day/night cycle) and they become confused about song production, call behavior, and movement patterns.
• Artificial Light at Night, also known as ALAN, disorients the birds during migration.
• Bright lights at night attract birds which lead to fatal collisions with buildings.
• Some species that are attracted or disoriented by ALAN make 'light-induced landings' where collisions with the ground can prove fatal or, at a minimum, stun them enough to make them vulnerable to predators.

How can we reduce light pollution?:

• Visit the FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness Program) website for tips and check out their Bird Safe suggestions for buildings.
• Does your city or state have a Lights Out Pledge? If not, can you start one? Check out examples from Portland and Ohio.
• Donate to the Audubon Society as they are committed to education and promoting dark skies. See their Lights Out page HERE.
• Talk, tweet, and post to help educate your friends, neighbors and family about this issue.
• Reduce or improve your outdoor lighting:  
• Set an example by turning your outdoor lights off.
• Ensure your outdoor light fixtures are shielded so light shines and points down, not up (also known as downlighting).
• The International Dark Sky Association puts their seal on light-fixtures that meet their strict guidelines. Look for this symbol when making new lighting purchases:

Keep your feeders filled and clean!:

Remember that an important part of a migrating bird's activity during the day is packing in those calories? What better way to help, and to get a glimpse of these visitors, than by keeping your feeders filled? We recommend feeding black oil sunflower seed and suet since these are more readily-eaten feeds for a large number of birds, provide a high level of quick nutrients and energy, and are fairly easy to feed in a wide variety of feeder types. A large capacity feeder such as our 6 QT Hopper Feeder with Suet Cages is a great option for feeding both seed and suet and ensuring the feeder stays full without having to make frequent trips outside to refill. Our Hanging Platform Feeder is another great feeder option for this time of year. Its open design ensures migratory birds of all sizes have adequate space to feed, while also giving you the best visibility to enjoy these "out-of-towners".

Unfortunately, a larger number of birds at your feeders can result in them getting dirty faster and, with a large number of migratory birds passing through, can expose your everyday backyard flock to parasites and disease. Make sure that whichever feeder you choose to put out can be easily cleaned, and we encourage at least a quick scrub if not a more thorough cleaning between each filling during both Spring and Fall migration. 

Keep up to date on bird activity:

Lastly, tune in to BirdCast for their live migration maps and forecast maps produced in part by the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology. These maps can be a great tool in identifying key dates where it will be especially important to keep the lights off in your area.

As always, happy birding!