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WindStar Wildlife Institute is a
national, non-profit, conservation
organization whose mission is to help
individuals and families establish or
improve the wildlife habitat on their
properties.
For more information or for the name
of a Master Wildlife Habitat
Naturalist in your area, please
contact:
WindStar Wildlife Institute
10072 Vista Ct. • Myersville, MD 21773
Phone: 301-293-3351
E-mail: wildlife@windstar.org
http://www.windstar.org
both nectar and insects. It
produces reddish, tubular flowers
that can be reached easily.
Unlike butterflies, which
normally take five seconds or
more per blossom, the
hummingbird is there for only a
fraction of this time. As it hovers,
it pushes its bill into the floral
opening and sticks out its long
tongue, folded like a tube. Nectar
and insects are held in this “tube"
and swallowed when the tongue is
returned to the mouth. The
hummingbird provides a service to
the flowers by helping to pollinate
them.
You can get close to
hummingbirds if you are patient
and let the birds get used to you.
First, sit 20 to 30 ft. away when
they are feeding. Gradually move
your chair closer to them, a few
feet each day. You might be lucky
enough to end up observing them
at a distance of only a few feet.
Sugar water feeders are a
godsend, especially when natural
Maintaining Hummingbird Feeders
You must maintain your feeder so it isn’t a health hazard for
hummingbirds. We suggest the following:
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Feed sugar water – four parts water and one part sugar. When
preparing the mix, dissolve the sugar by simply bringing it to a boil.
Don’t let it boil, as it will make the mixture too sweet. Do not use
anything other than sugar to sweeten.
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Don’t hang your feeder in direct sunlight, as it accelerates
bacteria growth.
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Clean the feeder regularly – at least every few days. If the weather
is hot the mixture can spoil, producing a life-threatening fungus.
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Don’t add red color to your mixture. Just make sure that some
parts of your feeder are red.
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If you also want to attract orioles, make sure your feeder has
perches.
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Take down your feeder when you’re sure all the birds have migrated
and are no longer in your area. This is probably in September or
October, depending on where you live.
Did You Know.
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Hummingbirds must feed every
10 minutes during the day. The
birds also need protein, which
they get from eating insects.
They prefer red or orange flowers
that produce lots of nectar over
a long period of time.
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Their wings beat up to 80 times
a second in forward flight and
200 times in dives. Normal
forward flight speed is 25 to 30
mph, but they can reach speeds
of 50 mph.
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At night when they are not
feeding, they slow their
metabolism by reducing their
food is in short supply. A single
feeder can provide food for dozens
of birds. The number of
hummingbirds appears to be
increasing wherever they have
access to this supplemental food
supply. But, the overall population
is threatened by the destruction
of rain forests where they winter in
Mexico and Central America.
heartbeat
from 1,260
beats per minute
(21 beats per second) down to
50 beats per minute.
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The typical nest is only 1-1/2
inches in diameter. It is made
from plant down and is held
together with spider webs.
Nests are built on the tops of
tree limbs, on vines, on hanging
rope and sometimes on light
fixtures. The nest is usually
placed under some type of
shelter.
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Hummingbirds usually lay two
or three eggs which are so tiny
they all would fit on a penny.
Eggs hatch in 15 to 17 days.
The birds stay in the nest
about three weeks.
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The birds have few enemies.
Males will take on other birds,
squirrels, cats, dogs, and even
people, in defending their nest
and mates. Their fast speed
and long, sharp bill makes
them a formidable opponent.
Their worst natural threats
are extreme weather
conditions such as cold,
lengthy periods of rain, dry
weather that dries up the
flowers as a food source, and
storms.
