Hummingbird Home Page

Hummingbird Facts:

Sugar Solutions:

HOMEMADE MIXTURE:

1 part sugar (not honey) - (artificial sweeteners have no food value. Honey ferments faster and can cause a fungus that affects hummingbirds tongues and can be fatal.)

4 parts water.

Boil for 1 to 2 minutes. Cool. Store extra in refrigerator.

The 1 to 4 ratio approximates the ratio of sugar to water found in flower nectar which on average is 21%. If you increase the sugar, it may be hard for the birds to digest. Boiling the solution helps retard fermentation.

Sugar-and-water solutions are subject to rapid spoiling, especially in hot weather. DO NOT leave sugar and water solutions in the feeder over 48 hours when the temperature is over 60 degrees.

COMMERCIAL MIXTURES:

Some of these mixtures come in powder to which you just add water. Others are already mixed as a liquid - containing pure water, nutrients, vitamins, and minerals - to which you just add the sugar.

Feeders Maintenance

When to put up feeders: Feeders should be up in time for the arrival of the hummingbirds. Arrival times vary depending on where you live. In North Carolina, a few hummers arrive by mid-march. But we do not see many until late March.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are generally the only breeding variety found in the eastern half of North America. However several western species may wander east especially in late fall. Ruby-throated hummingbirds spend the winter in southern Mexico and return to the Cape Fear region by flying across the Gulf of Mexico through Alabama or Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. In the lower South, arrival may be as early as January or February; in the North, it may be as late as April or May.

When to take down feeders: Contrary to belief, maintaining feeders in the fall does not prevent the hummingbirds from migrating.

In many areas, hummers begin migrating even when there are still flowers in bloom and insects available. Males generally migrate several weeks ahead of females and immature birds. Species that live in the same area often migrate at different times regardless of the food supply. They more likely to time their migrations according to day length or photoperiods. Migrating hummingbirds may actually be helped by the feeders that are left up; as they may get extra energy they need for their long flight.

In certain parts of the country hummingbirds do not migrate. On the West coast, the Southwest, and a few places in the Southeast, hummingbirds can be found in winter. In Ramsey Canyon, Arizona, there have been reports of feeders being visited every 20 minutes in a snowstorm. In severe weather conditions, the sugar water will have to be warmed to keep it from freezing.

The Ruby-throated hummingbird generally migrates Southward in late July to late October.