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Hummingbird Food

Hummingbirds and Mites

I discovered something very interesting that has prompted me to write this post. I learned that mites will hitchhike on a hummingbird. Mites grow and reproduce within the blooms of many flowers by feeding on the nectar and pollen of these plants. Whenever a flower stops blooming and no longer contains nectar, the mite must move on and they do so by catching ride while on the hummingbird.
 
As a hummingbird sucks nectar from a flower, the mites run onto the bird’s bill and into the hummingbird’s nostrils. The mite only remains on the hummingbird for a short time, until the hummingbird visits another flower of the same species as the one the mite just left.
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Hummingbird Feeders Hummingbird Food

Important Reminders about Homemade Hummingbird Nectar Solution

  • When making homemade hummingbird nectar solution, use only ordinary white cane sugar to sweeten the solution and no other type of sugar substitute. 
  • To make your own nectar solution, use a ratio of 1 part white cane sugar to 4 parts water.
  • This mixture approximates the average sucrose content (about 21%) of the flowers favored by North American hummingbirds, without being so sweet it attracts too many insects.
  • The nectar solution can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
  • It’s not absolutely necessary to boil the water, but this will help the sugar dissolve completely. The microorganisms that cause fermentation don’t come from the water; they are transported to the feeder on hummingbird bills.
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Hummingbird Food

Injured or Orphaned Hummingbirds

Have you ever what to do if you find an injured or orphaned hummingbird on the ground? If so, this post is intended just for you. It offers tips as to how you should handle the situation. This advice is given cutesy of Project Wildlife and I have just put the information in my own words.
 
If you find an injured or orphaned hummingbird on the ground, lift it along with the material it is sitting on, and place it on crumpled tissue in a small box with holes in the lid.
 
The hummingbird should always be placed on tissue or paper towels. Do not use cloth. The reason for this is because the bird’s feet may become entangled in the cloth. You will also want to provide the bird with a low heat source, but be careful not to overheat the bird. The bird is too hot if it starts open-mouth breathing or its neck is outstretched, so be sure and watch for these warning signs.
 
Due to their extremely high metabolic rates, hummingbirds must eat frequently. A hummingbird will eat between 5-8 times per hour with each feeding lasting about 30 seconds in length.   Hummingbirds can die within four hours if not fed. You will want to feed the adult hummingbirds a sugar water mixture of 1 part sugar to four parts water. Hummingbird babies can’t be fed sugar water or commercial hummingbird nectar for more than 24 hours because this may cause the young hummingbirds to develop crippling deformities.
 
If you need further information regarding injured hummingbirds, please call the Project Wildlife Hotline at 619-225-9202 to get more information. These people have the training and expertise to provide you with the exact information you may need.
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Hummingbird Food

Ways to Help Ensure Hummingbird Safety

Anyone who loves hummingbirds would agree that they don’t want to intentionally harm the birds that we so love and enjoy. This can happen quite by accident. The information contained here may help ensure that you don’t unintentionally harm these birds.
 
Pesticides should never be used in a hummingbird garden! The hummingbird can ingest the pesticide while feeding on insects and spiders. While you may think you are doing you plants a favor by using the pesticides this is a very bad idea, because the protein that is provided by the insects and spiders found on these plants is vital to the hummingbird’s diet. If these pesticides get ingested by the hummingbird it could make them sick of even kill them. It is important to remember that hummingbirds are extremely tiny and therefore even a small amount of pesticide can be deadly!
 
There is a great debate as to whether or not red food coloring is unhealthy for hummingbirds. I don’t know the definitive answer regarding this issue, but I will tell you for certain that the use of red dye is unnecessary if your feeder has red on it somewhere, either on the feeder its self or by attaching a red ribbon to the feeder. Yes, you can buy pre-made nectar solution that contains dye, but why do so. This is far more expensive then making your own nectar solution and making your own nectar solution is quite easy to do. This is what the makers of Perky-Pet hummingbird feeders had to say as a reason many people may believe that red dye may be harmful to hummingbirds. “Some liquid red dyes contain propylene glycol, a refined alcohol that is sometimes used as antifreeze. That is why Perky-Pet uses dry, USDA approved dyes and discourages the addition of untested red dyes by our customers to color nectar.”
 
Making homemade nectar solution is quite simple. The recipe for making your own homemade nectar solution is listed below:
 
To make your own nectar solution, use 1 part white granulated cane sugar to 4 parts water.
 
If you choose to make your own homemade nectar solution, you need to bring this solution to a boil for 1 1/2 minutes and then let it cool down. You now have a mixture much more similar to that of the flower nectar.
 
The decision of whether or not to use red dye in your hummingbird nectar is entirely up to each individual. I, personally, don’t believe it necessary, because I have repeatedly seen hummingbirds come to feeders without any dye in the nectar solution.
 
Honey should not be used to feed hummingbirds because it attracts bees and favors the growth of a black fungus that causes a fatal liver and tongue disease in hummingbirds.
 
This last tip may surprise you, just as it did me. Electric fences can be a real safety issue for the hummingbirds. Let me explain. May electric fences have red insulators that will attract the hummingbirds because they think the insulators are flowers and as a result the hummingbird will mistakenly fly into the fence. The best way to insure that this doesn’t occur is to paint the insulators either black or white.
 
Hummingbirds are one of nature’s most beautiful creatures. These birds face enough challenges to their survival, so let’s each do our part to try and insure that no harm comes to them. If you follow the tips listed here, you will be taking action to insure that no harm intentionally comes to these amazing birds. 
 
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Hummingbird Food

Hummingbirds Come In All Sizes

There are well over 300 different species of hummingbirds. Depending on the source you consult, some experts say that there are between 330 and 340 species of hummingbirds. Regardless of the exact number of species, there are a great number of varieties of hummingbirds. The smallest is the bee hummingbird which is found in Cuba. The largest hummingbird is the giant hummingbird, which only weighs 21 to 23 grams. So much for being a giant! According to hummingbird expert Laura Erickson, you could mail nine or ten hummingbirds with a single stamp! This should help give you some idea just how extremely tiny hummingbirds are.
 
A hummingbird’s bill also comes in many different sizes and shapes too. The bill of the hummingbird is long and slender to make it easier for the hummingbird to collect nectar from flowers. The bill also provides protection for the hummingbird’s tongue which allows each type of hummingbird to feed from the specific flowers that are designed to fit them best. Nectar is the primary food source of the hummingbird, and about 90 percent of their diet consists of nectar from flowers. The hummingbird’s diet is also aided by their eating insects. The insects are captured through a technique known as “hawking”, which is when the hummingbird catches the insects by flying and diving to capture the insect out of the air.
 
The tongue of the hummingbird is quite unique. It is shaped like a “W” and it helps the birds absorb the nectar that they are ingesting. The tip of the tongue is said to be bushy in nature and has even been compared to being like Velcro or sandpaper. This helps the hummingbirds trap insects and also assist them when they are probing within a flower in order to obtain nectar.