Hummingbirds

A friend at our feeder!!

Zip, zip, zoom! This post started out as one on kids’ sign language books… but new visitors to my backyard prompted a quick change of plans. Meet my hummingbirds: tiny, speedy, beautiful birds who have recently begun zipping in and out of my family’s daily lives. Very exciting!

My husband has been an avid gardener these last few years and has been increasing the footprint of our raised garden beds annually – two, then four, now six. This gardening has brought an increased awareness of nature in general, and we’ve started to plant bee- and hummingbird-friendly plants around our yard. When a friend told me about her dollar-store hummingbird feeder, I filed the info away for future reference but had no immediate plans to get one. (I was also a bit skeptical of the idea of a dollar-store feeder!) However, a few months later, my daughter and I added one to our cart on a whim. If it worked, great, but it was no great loss if things didn’t pan out.

I washed and put out the feeder in mid-spring (May) but, after seeing no visitors for the first few weeks, our interest waned. Then one evening in late June, around dusk, we were on our back porch and… a hummingbird buzzed in!! A short time later a second hummingbird started coming. They would zip in at different times (though one usually came a few minutes after the other), take a sip, fly to our nearby clothesline or tree, come back for a sip, repeat the process a few times, and then fly off into one of our back trees. Looking closely, we realized that one was male, with his ruby-colored throat, and one was a female (white throat; no bright colors). Since these birds are usually very territorial, we had high hopes of a mating pair!

The birds come and go so quickly that it’s hard to get a positive ID, especially since the females and young males have similar coloring. However, a new, smaller, female-looking hummingbird has started visiting the feeder, which might be the baby!! (There are no “baby hummingbirds” at feeders because the babies don’t fly. They only leave the nest once they are fully grown and capable of flight. At that point, the young males look very similar to females until their first winter, when they attain adult male plumage.) Catching a glimpse of them is an EVENT in our family; my daughter (age 4), husband, and I are always on the lookout! The hummingbird trio will likely leave us soon to fly south for the winter, but I’m hoping more will return to our feeders next spring.

Fascinating facts about ruby-throated hummingbirds:

• The wings of a hummingbird beat incredibly fast: 40-80 times per second! Unlike all other birds, their wings rotate 180 degrees, allowing them to fly forward, backward, and upside down; stop instantly; and hover in midair. They’re also very speedy: they can fly up to 30 miles per hour and dive at twice that speed! The humming sound their feathers make when flying is what gave them their name.
• All that quick flying means they have to eat a lot and often. They eat about 2/3 their body weight in nectar and insects every day!
• Hummingbirds have a very poor sense of smell [possibly none at all?], yet their eyesight is excellent. Red and orange flowers attract them, probably because the bright colors stand out against the foliage. However, they will eat from any color flower as long as the flower’s sugar content is at least 25%.
• Nectar makes up about 90% of their diet; the other 10% comes from insects, including ants, beetles, flies, spiders, and wasps. They are quick enough to catch flying insects or steal spiders and insects right from spiderwebs!
  

  

  Perched on our clothesline near the feeder.

  
  
• They are wonderful pollinators. They visit over 1,000 flowers per day to eat, really spreading that pollen!
• Hummingbird feet are only designed for perching; they can’t walk on the ground like other birds. The best they can do is hop a little or scoot sideways on a tree branch. Even eating, they hover! Once airborne, they never glide on the wind; they must continue moving their wings to fly.
• They are only about 3-3.5 inches long – about the length of an adult’s thumb! They weigh about 0.1 ounces, less than the weight of a nickel. About 1/3 of that weight is muscle.
• Their long, thin bills are not, in fact, like straws. They open their bills to let out long, extendable tongues. The tongues fork about halfway down. Each fork is slightly grooved and covered with tiny hairs that soak up nectar, very similar to the way paper towels soak up spilled liquids. The nectar is then transported along the hairs and into the hummingbirds’ mouths. They lap nectar with their tongues at a rate of 13 times per second. [The DVD Super Hummingbirds gives close-ups of this – wow!]
• At night, hummingbirds have difficulty finding food. Many go into torpor at night (though not every night), a state similar to hibernation where they drop their heart rates, slow their breathing, and decrease their body temperatures. When the sun comes up, they take some time to warm up and come out of torpor, and then they’re off!
• Hummingbird eggs are the smallest of any bird, being only 0.3-0.8 inches, about the size of a pea!
• Their tiny nests are made with bark, moss, leaves, and lichen, padded on the inside with feathers, fur, and other soft materials. The nest is held together with spider webs! The nests grow with the babies, stretching as the babies get bigger.
• Hummingbirds are mostly loners. They don’t travel in flocks or meet up to eat, sleep, or migrate. The only time they come together is to mate. Ruby-throated hummingbirds migrate south for the winter to avoid the cold temperatures. They travel 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico, a trip that scientists estimate takes them about 20 hours. Some even fly up to 1,000 miles without stopping! They double their body size by eating a lot before leaving so they have enough energy for the trip. (There are no convenient Wawa’s [or hummingbird-equivalents] along the way for that trip!)
• Males typically migrate first; females and young hummers follow a bit later. Their migration is staggered so there is enough food for each group to make the trip. The males set up territories when they arrive and are ready to attract females once they arrive.
• Male ruby-throats have bright, shiny, iridescent throat feathers (called a gorget). However, you have to be at just the right angle to see the shine. For hummingbirds, the top third of each iridescent feather has filmlike platelets with air bubbles that produce color by interference, the same way soap bubbles shimmer. The hummers know how to use light and angles to their advantage, showing their colors when they want to attract a mate or scare away intruders, and hiding them when they don’t want to be noticed.
• Ruby-throated hummingbirds have a lifespan of 3-9 years.
• There are more than 300 species of hummingbird. We have only the ruby-throated variety here on the East Coast. Interestingly, hummingbirds are only found in the Americas.

Care and feeding

If you’d like to start your own feeders, here is what I’ve learned about hummingbird care and feeding. Hummingbirds like a sweet mix of sugar and water. The common ratio I’ve seen is ¼ cup sugar per 1 cup of water (1 part sugar to 4 parts water). I put a cup of water in a small pot on the stove, add the sugar, and bring the pot to a boil. Let it boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then move it off the heat to cool. Cool the mixture completely before filling your feeder(s). (I’ve read that the water doesn’t need to be boiled, just shaken well, but I’ve been boiling mine to be on the safe side.) Use regular, refined white sugar, not brown sugar, raw sugar, or any other type of sweetener (honey, corn syrup, confectioners’ sugar, etc.). Although hummingbirds like the color red, do not add any red coloring to the water. If you make a larger batch, you can store the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Seen through our screen porch.

Cleaning and changing the sugar water regularly is very important. Dirty feeders can make the birds sick, so only get a feeder if you can commit to keeping up with the maintenance. (An alternative is to plant hummingbird-friendly plants. They are still helpful and attractive to the birds and are less demanding for you!) The particulars of cleaning vary depending on what source you’re reading. In terms of what to use to clean them: I’ve read to clean with a bleach-water mix, a vinegar-water mix, and a soap-and-water mix, and I’ve also read how each of these methods can leave harmful residues! My feeders have stayed fairly clean – no mold – so I’ve just been giving them a good rinse and scrub in plain hot water. Another tip I saw was to put dried rice in the feeder and shake it vigorously to scrape off any unwanted gunk inside. I suggest doing a little research and making your own decision for the best cleaning solution. Birdwatchinghq.com has a comprehensive post on the subject, but there are many others. (Tip: Do not use boiling water, at least for the dollar-store-type feeders! I wasn’t thinking one night, used boiling water, and completely warped and ruined the feeders!) Whatever solution you choose to use, it is important to clean each part of the feeders. Bottle brushes can get inside the bulb part of the feeder, and tiny brushes or even pipe cleaners can clean out the little feeding ports.

The frequency of cleaning and re-filling is another question with a range of answers, but it really seems to depend on the weather and the look of the feeders. A common rule of thumb is to change the water several times a week, but check them more frequently in hot weather. The heat tends to increase the rate of fermentation and the growth of mold and bacteria, to the extent that one blogger has to change her feeder water 2x a day in the summer! My feeders are in the shade, and I’ve been changing them every 2-3 days. However, if they look cloudy or there are bugs inside, I change the water.

Feeders are available from many different stores, including Dollar Tree (likely seasonally), Amazon, Home Depot and other hardware stores, Walmart, Tractor Supply, Etsy, hummingbirdpots.com, and a host of others. You can even find directions for making your own out of a mason jar or other various containers.

In our area – central NJ – the hummingbirds’ migration pattern has them arriving sometime in mid-April and leaving by late October. It’s safe to bring your feeders in by about Halloween, but it’s not harmful if you leave them up longer for any stragglers. The idea that keeping feeders up too long in the fall will interfere with the birds’ migration is a myth; hummingbirds have an internal clock regulated by the changing day length that tells them when it’s time to go. This hummingbird migration map from Hummingbird Central and Project Colibris is helpful for seeing when birds arrive to the area.

Resources

The list below is a sampling of the library’s collection of materials on hummingbirds. Check out the library catalog for more options. We also have e-books and e-audiobooks through hoopla.)

Children’s Books

Tiny Bird: A Hummingbird's Amazing Journey by Robert Burleigh (2020)

Summary: As autumn nears, flowers fade and insects become quiet, and Tiny Bird leaves his northern home for the long and perilous journey to lush southern forests. Includes facts about hummingbirds.

Call Number: E 598.764 BUR 2020

ISBN: 9781627793698

Hummingbirds by Kate Riggs (2014)

Summary: A basic exploration of the appearance, behavior, and habitat of hummingbirds, Earth's smallest birds. Also included is a story from folklore explaining why hummingbirds have beautiful feathers.

Call Number: E 598.7 RIG 2014

ISBN: 9780898129274

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds by Chris Bowman (2016)

Summary: Simple text and full-color photography introduce beginning readers to ruby-throated hummingbirds. Developed by literacy experts for students in kindergarten through third grade.

Call Number: ER 598.7 BOW LV3

ISBN: 9780531223130

Hannahthe Hummingbird Pollinates by Rebecca Donnelly (2022)

Summary: Follow Hannah, a ruby-throated hummingbird, as she embarks on her daily pollination journey in a city park.

Note from Jen: My 4-yr-old enjoyed reading this with me and recommends the whole pollinator series.

Call Number: ER 598.7 DON LV3

ISBN: 9781636902289

Hummingbirds by Melissa Gish (2011)

Summary: A look at hummingbirds, including their habitats, physical characteristics such as their ability to hover, behaviors, relationships with humans, and admired status in the world today.

Call Number: J 598.7 GIS 2011

ISBN: 9781608180783

It's a Hummingbird's Life by Irene Kelly (2003)

Summary: An intimate view of the busy, fascinating world of these birds.

Note from Jen:Highly recommend this book! Our whole family learned a lot, and the info is presented in a visually-appealing, not too overwhelming manner.

Call Number: J 598.7 KEL

ISBN: 9780823416585

Hummingbirds by Kristin Petrie (2015)

Summary: Looks at the habitats, life cycles, physical characteristics, diets, and defenses of hummingbirds.

Call Number: J 598.7 PET 2015

ISBN: 9781624036613

Adult Books

Creating aHummingbird Garden: A Guide to Attracting and Identifying Hummingbird Visitors by Marcus Schneck (1993)

Summary: Turn your garden into a glorious haven for hummingbirds. Here are the basics on planning, planting, and maintaining a beautiful outdoor space that will lure these tiny creatures and give you hours of gardening pleasure. This charmingly illustrated volume provides a variety of garden plans, including essential information on hardiness zones, soil conditions, and sun and shade preferences, and is packed with facts on the lives and habits of hummingbirds. When your winged guests linger in your garden, you'll delight in consulting the hummingbird identifier in Creating a Hummingbird Garden.

Call Number: 639.9789 SCH

ISBN: 9780671892456

Hummingbirds by Sara Godwin (1991)

Summary: Filled with exquisite color photographs and line drawings, a book that captures the beauty of these winged jewels and describes their fascinating habitats.

Call Number: 598.899 GOD

ISBN: 9780792455103

Hummingbirds by Ronald Orenstein (2014)

Summary: A visual feast of beautiful images and a comprehensive natural history of a unique and remarkable bird family

Call Number: 598.764 ORE 2014

ISBN: 9781770854000

The Hummingbirds' Gift: Wonder, Beauty, and Renewal on Wings by Sy Montgomery (2021)

Summary: From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus, a perfect gem of a book about those most exquisite and extraordinary of winged creatures--hummingbirds.

Call Number: 598.7 MON 2021

ISBN: 9781982176082

DVDs/Movies

Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air

Summary: Hummingbirds are the tiniest of birds, yet they are some of the toughest creatures on the planet. Using cameras able to capture over 500 images a second, the hummingbirds' magical world can finally be seen and appreciated. Nature reveals their stunning abilities as they have never been seen before. Narrated by F. Murray Abraham.

ISBN: 9781594645235

Super Hummingbirds

Summary: With high speed camera work and breakthrough new science, we enter the fast-paced world of hummingbirds as never before. Speed is their middle name. Their lives are moving faster than the eye can see. A PBS film.

ISBN: 9781627898720

- by Jennifer Crabtree,Youth Services Librarian,Lawrence Branch