Hummingbird Q & A
(Photo by Laura Mancuso for the Illinois Valley News)
Ratio:
Q: What is the best sugar-to-water ratio to use for feeding hummingbirds?
A: Four parts water to one part sugar has been shown to be the closest to the sucrose content of natural flower nectar. Concentrations stronger than this, like a 3-1 ratio and stronger are readily consumed by hummers, but no scientific evidence exists regarding the potential helpful or harmful effect to the birds.
Red Dye:
Q: Is the red dye that is found in premixed hummer solutions bad for the birds?
A: Although there is no conclusive evidence that red food dye is harmful to hummingbirds, this chemical additive is not necessary to their feeding solution. Many commercial brands contain the coloring, which is meant to be attractive both to hummingbirds and to shopping bird watchers. You’ll find most feeders already have red painted on the feeder to attract the birds. The solution doesn’t need to be red. We bought some new feeders and they came with the packets of red dye. Cheryl thought she would use it just to see if the birds like it or not. The vote is in and they didn’t like it at all. The feeder she used is a very busy feeder and once the red dye went in the birds stopped using it. We use the 4-1 water/sugar solution here and our hummers love it.
Flying U’s:
Q: Why does a male hummer fly in a U-shaped pattern?
A: Male hummingbirds perform a variety of courtship displays. This is the pendulum display flight of a male hummer to a perched female. It’s common to see this behavior in later spring and early summer.
How long for babies:
Q: What is the incubation period of hummingbirds, and what is their life expectancy?
A: The Black-Chinned and Rufus hummingbirds average incubation period is around 15 days. Very few nests have been watched and documented, particularly the Rufus. Hummingbird longevity is hard to determine. Five years has been the traditionally accepted figure, however, one female Broad-Tailed hummingbird in Colorado was netted more than 20 years after she was originally banded.
Winter Feeding:
Q: Should I keep my hummingbird feeder out all winter?
A: Yes, you will see Anna’s and Rufous all year long here in the valley. When possible you would want to take the food in at night and bring it out in the mornings. Hummer’s will go into a torpid state, lowering their body temperature and metabolism to conserve energy. When they awaken the next morning, they are in need of a quick energy boost to kick start their metabolism and pull them out of torpor. If they find a frozen feeder and no flowers to feed on they will be unable to find that needed energy boost. Without that boost they will die.
If you’re in Cave Junction on a Saturday morning stop by “My Place” and join me for breakfast or just a cup of coffee. I’m there every Saturday morning with other bird lovers around 8:30am. We would love to meet you and hear you bird stories.
Q & A’s are out of Bird Watchers Digest and by Harry Johnson