Hummingbirds primarily eat nectar from flowers for quick energy, but they also consume small insects and spiders for protein and nutrients.
This best place to hang your hummingbird feeder is about 5-6 feet off the ground in a partially shaded area. Place it near shrubs and trees so birds can easily retreat. Avoid placing your feeder near windows to prevent accidental crashes. Avoid areas where the sun will hit the feeder all, or most of the day. Sun and heat can speed up the fermentation process of the food.
If you already have flowers hummingbirds visit, hang the feeder near them, this will help attract new visitors.
Yes. Hummingbirds are drawn to red more than any other color, which is why most feeders are red. The feeder is enough to get the attention of passing hummingbirds, so adding red dye/coloring to the nectar is not necessary. Dye may actually be harmful to the birds.
Native, tubular flowers are the classic hummingbird magnet. Trumpet vine, honeysuckle, salvia, bee balm, or native penstemon, are all effective, depending on your region. Staggering varieties so something is blooming from early spring through fall gives hummingbirds a reason to keep checking your yard. A feeder plus a few well chosen plants will out perform either one alone.
If you’re seeing a lot of activity, yes. A single feeder often gets claimed by one dominant, territorial hummingbird who will chase others off. Hanging tmultiple feeders spaced well apart lets more birds feed without constant squabbling. Ideally place multiple feeders out of sight from each other.
In cooler weather, around 60°, nectar can safely go two to three days between changes. Once temperatures climb toward 90° and above, bacterial growth speed up dramatically, and nectar should be replaced daily. Clean the feeder each time you change the nectar. Give the feeder a rinse with hot water and a quick brush through the ports every time you refill it, regardless of season.
Change your hummingbird nectar before it turns cloudy. If the nectar gets cloudy, smells sour, has dark spots, you should change it right away. A good rule is every day when it is hot, every 2-3 days when it’s cooler.
Feeders should go up before the first migrants typically arrive in your area. In fall, resist the urge to take feeders down as soon as regular visitors seem to disappear, leaving them up a few extra weeks helps late migrants passing through refuel. For most areas from March through October is common. Birds will arrive in norther areas a little later, and they will migrate south a little sooner.
Hummingbirds rely on small insects and spiders for protein. A yard that’s been sprayed with pesticides has less to offer them beyond the nectar in your feeder. Skipping pesticides where you can is one of the simpler ways to make a yard genuinely attractive, not just a stopover.
Yes. Hummingbirds remarkably precise memories. Hummingbirds have a proportionally large hippocampus, the brain region tied to spatial memory. Research has shown they build detailed mental maps of feeding locations using visual landmarks such as trees, structures, even the position of a feeder relative to a house. Studies on wild birds have found individuals with sharper spatial memory reliably outperform others at relocating a single rewarding food source among many options. Because hummingbirds often return to the same breeding and migration territories annually, a feeder kept in a consistent spot has a good chance of being visited by the same birds season after season.
Mostly through a mix of instinct and exploration. They’re naturally scanning for red and orange shapes that resemble flowers all the time. Hummingbirds will investigate anything with that visual profile within their territory or along their route. Once a hummingbird finds a reliable source, it doesn’t just remember the location, it can also learn how often that source gets refilled. That’s part of why consistency is important when filling your feeder.
Yes. Naturally Nectar is ready to pour straight from the can. You can use any style of feeder. No mixing or diluting required.