If two feeders are hung from a two-sided shepard’s hook, for example, a dominant bird can easily patrol both feeders, and little improvement is realized. Placement of those multiple feeders is critically important, as well. It also helps to hang multiple feeders in the yard, reducing a dominant bird’s territorial effectiveness. A dominant hummingbird may still try to drive off other birds, but providing feeding stations on opposite sides of a feeder will give some of those birds an occasional opportunity. In the first place, feeders should be purchased that provide multiple feeding holes and an accompanying perch arranged in a circle around the nectar reservoir. Hummingbird wars can be mitigated through a number of steps. Where Should Hummingbird Feeders be Hung? While hummingbirds may seem to share a flowering garden peacefully, an artifical nectar feeder can create a full-blown turf battle. Hummingbirds are aggressively territorial, a trait that is exacerbated with the introduction of home feeders. A simple solution of sugar and water, at a ratio of one-quarter cup of sugar to a cup of boiling water, is much cheaper than buying commercial products and is equally nutritious for the birds. Feeders should also provide a perch, should have some red coloration (it is not desirable or necessary to color the food, however) and should be easy to clean and fill.Īlthough dry and pre-mixed liquid “nectar” is available commercially. Small, single-hole feeders are less useful than larger, multi-station feeders. Some feeders are far better than others in meeting the birds’ needs, and care should be taken in selecting the best feeders. Nectar feeders are widely available, and come in a variety of designs, color and price.

Hummingbirds are attracted to yards that offer shaded perches, nectar-laden plants like morning glories and artificial nectar feeders. They’re also easily attracted to home nectar feeders. More well-known is their appetite for nectar, and they can be found probing flowers like honeysuckle with bills perfectly evolved for the task. Hummingbirds are voracious spider and insect eaters, and often can be seen hovering in mid-air, moving sideways and vertically as they catch small insects. The smallest of all birds, hummingbirds are alone in their ability to fly backwards. Probably the most appealing of all birds, hummingbirds are often stunning in appearance, with their iridescent colors, long slender bills and rapid wingbeats. Most of the more than 300 species reside in South America, Mexico and Central America, but 14 species regularly breed in North America, and another 8 are regular to occasional visitors.

Ancient hummingbird fossils have been discovered in Germany and France, but today these remarkable birds are native only to the Western Hemisphere. Hummingbirds, in the family Trochilidae, are a new world phenomenon. The Advantages of Properly Placed Hummingbird Feeders Hummingbirds.Where Should Hummingbird Feeders be Hung?.

Best hummingbird feeder location