Basic Tips on Feeding Hummingbirds

Feeding Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds have an incredibly high metabolic rate, burning as many as 155,000 calories a day, consuming 1.5 times their own weight. They actually spend 90% of their time feeding. Two basic types of liquid feeders are used with these birds, saucer and vacuum style filled with sweet water or a nectar solution.

Saucer Style Feeders

These simple feeders are usually made of plastic or glass. Some kind of bottle or receptacle is inverted so that the liquid runs into a closed saucer in which holes have been punched and perches attached. The level of the water reaches a point of equilibrium, which it re-established each time the birds drink. Unlike some of the unique hummingbird feeders that resemble flowers or other natural objects, saucer feeders basically look like an old-fashioned IV bottle from a hospital.

Vacuum Style

In vacuum feeders the liquid feeds down a tube. Because a vacuum is established between the bottle and the tube, the liquid is always available but does not drip out. Normally there are only single hummingbird feeder tubes on this style, which lessens the number of birds that can be fed at one time, but increases the watcher's ability to observe a single creature. It is not uncommon for both types of feeder to be used in a single yard - saucer feeders to provide volume and vacuum feeders to enhance observation.

The decision about using a glass hummingbird feeder or one made from other materials is a matter of budget and personal choice. Basic hummingbird feeder parts can be constructed out of common materials and a "do it yourself" home handy-man would have no trouble assembling a functional feeder.

Features to Consider When Buying Bird Feeders

Although basic feeders require only a receptacle to hold the liquid and a means of delivering the nectar to the birds, there are additional features you may want to consider in purchasing a hummingbird feeder.

Bee Guards

Hummingbirds love nectar and sweet liquids and unfortunately so do bees. Bee guards keep the bees out of the nectar by lengthening the distance required to reach the liquid. Hummingbirds can reach the food with their long beaks, but bees can't.

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