All about hummingbirds - recipe for nectar and tips

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What Are Hummingbirds?

Many bird lovers consider hummingbirds the most magical of all of the birds. The hummingbird buzzs around your backyard and appear to hover motionless while feeding from bird feeders. This motionless suspension happens because of the hummingbird's ability to flap its little wings approximately 40 times per second. The constant flapping of their wings produces a humming sound that is the reason why they are referred to as, "hummingbirds" or sometimes "hummers".

Due to the high metabolic rate required of a hummingbird to maintain its fast wing speed, a hummer consumes almost half of its body weight in nectar every day. In order to survive during a night, when a hummingbird is not continuously eating, hummingbirds will hibernate, dropping their body temperature to very low levels (30-50 degrees F). Hummingbirds enjoy feasting on plant nectar or the solutions prepared by loyal hummingbird lovers.

Recipe for Making Hummingbird Nectar

Making nectar for your hummingbird friends is quite simple. You only need to make a basic mixture that will do the trip without adding other substances that my prove harmful to hummingbirds.

Nectar Ingredients:

1 part nector (sugar)

4 parts boiling water

Tips for making the nector :

Boil the water before measuring the water to prevent wrong measurements due to the evaporation of the water.

Do not add red food coloring to the water. This is not necessary and may be toxic to the hummingbirds. For attracting the hummingbirds with the color red, decorate the bottom of the feeder with red tape and hang the feeder with a red ribbon.

Replace your sugar solution every 3 to 5 days.

Never add honey to your hummingbird nectar solution because honey promotes the growth of mold which may be dangerous and sometimes fatal to your hummingbird friends.

Do not lather your hummingbird feeder with oil in the effort to deter pests like ants and bees. The oil may contaminate the nectar solution and have adverse effects on the hummingbirds feeding at your hummingbird feeder.

Interesting Facts About Hummingbirds

1. Only one species of hummingbird, the Ruby Throated Hummingbird, breeds East of the Missippie River in the United States.

2. The smallest hummingbird, the Bee Hummingbird, is no longer that 2.25 inches, which is about the size of a bumble bee.

3. A hummingbird usually feeds five to eight times within an hour for about 30 to 60 seconds each feeding time. The hummingbird's high metabolic rate requires them to eat more than one half of their body weight in nectar each day.

4. Under normal conditions, a hummingbird can fly approximately 25 miles per hour. While courting other hummingbirds, a hummingbirds may reach speeds of at least 50 miles per hour.

5. Most hummingbirds do not live past their first year of life. The special few that survive their first year of life will live to at least 3 to 4 years.

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How to Attract Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds are the most curious of all of the birds in the bird kingdom. If you put out a hummingbird feeder filled with their prized nectar, they will surely find it after examining every inch of your backyard.

Until they do, here are some tips for attracting hummingbirds to your hummingbird feeder :

Provide plenty of perching opportunities - While not buzzing around your backyard, hummingbirds spend 80% of their waking hours sitting on perching tools such as twigs, leaf limbs, or even clothes lines.

Cover the bottom and top of your hummingbird feeder with the color red - Many believe that the hummingbird is sensitive to ultraviolet light, so hummers are attracted to the colors red or orange. Therefore, you should attract hummingbirds to your feeder if you wrap it with red or orange survey tape. As an added touch hang the feeder with red ribbon. We do not suggest using red food coloring in your nectar solution because of the negative effects it may have on hummingbirds that drink the nectar solution.

Plant a Hummingbird Garden - The hummingbird's main job is to pollinate the flowers of the world. Growing plants like Azaleas, Butterfly Bush, or Cape Honeysuckle around the location of your hummingbird feeder will surely attract your hummer friends.

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