Welcome to the captivating world of the smallest bird – the hummingbird – so tiny, in fact, that many of them weigh less than the weight of a nickel.
Some Fun Facts:
- Hummingbirds are admired for their shimmering feather colorations. Depending on species, they can sport dazzling metallic colors of green, gold, red, orange, purple, or blue.
- These feathered jewels aren’t just amusing to watch, they are also important pollinators for many flowering plants. As they move from plant to plant, they pick up pollen on their feathers and bill and carry it to the next flower they visit, pollinating the plant. Due to their high metabolism, they need to eat about every 10-15 minutes and will visit over 1,000 flowers in a single day. They also eat tiny insects and spiders to supplement their diet.
- Despite having underdeveloped legs and cannot walk or hop, they possess remarkable aerial agility and can fly backwards, sideways, upside down, straight up and down, and can hover like a helicopter. Their hearts can beat over 1,200 times per minute while in flight and their wings flutter over 50 times per second, creating a distinctive humming sound.
- The female builds a tiny nest and lays two white eggs about the size of small jelly beans.
- Despite their diminutive size, they migrate over 2,000 miles from their breeding grounds in North America to their winter home in Mexico and Central America. They will make the same long journey on their return trip. Many hummingbirds travel through our area during migration and having native plants in your yard helps them refuel their bodies for the long journey. Part of the ruby-throated hummingbird’s route is across the Gulf of Mexico, and that’s an extraordinary 500-mile non-stop flight, so their need to fuel up and add extra weight to their tiny frames is vital to survive the flight.
Would you like to attract hummers to your yard? With the right plants and feeders, you too can attract these tiny feathered jewels.
- Plant native nectar plants. Hummers especially favor red and orange tubular flowers. Plants to look for at your local native plant sale or garden center are:
- Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) – known for its striking red tubular flowers
- Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) – clusters of red or orange tubular flowers
- Fall Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana) – spikes of white, pink, or lavender tubular flowers
- Gulf Coast Penstemon (Penstemon tenuis) – terminal clusters of lavender to light purple tubular flowers
- Lemon Beebalm (Monarda citriodora) – light purple to lavender flowers with pink or white spots
- Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia) – small tree/shrub produces panicles of red tubular flowers
- Red Sage (Salvia coccinea) – red tubular flowers and will tolerate partial shade
- Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata) – pale yellow to cream-colored tubular flowers with purple spots
- Spring Obedient Plant (Physostegia intermedia) – spike-like clusters in white, pink, or lavender
- Texas Lantana (Lantana urticoides) – small flowers in orange and yellow clustered in rounded heads
- Turk’s Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus) – red tubular flowers that resemble a Turkish turban
- Add a hummingbird feeder filled with sugar water. Disk-shaped feeders are easy to take apart and clean.
- Avoid the use of pesticides as they can be harmful to hummingbirds drinking nectar from contaminated plants and pesticides kill the insects and spiders that are part of their diet.
Nectar Recipe:
Add 4 parts tap water to 1 part white granulated sugar (do not use any other type of sweetener) and stir until sugar is dissolved. Sugar will dissolve quicker in warm water, but it is not necessary to boil the water as it does not need to be sterile. Natural nectar is clear, so adding red food coloring is not necessary. Wash feeder and add fresh sugar water about every three days to avoid mold growth which can be harmful to hummingbirds. Place your feeder in a shady location if possible since the sugar water will spoil quicker if placed in a sunny area. You can store extra sugar water in the fridge for one week.
If you would like to learn more about the amazing hummingbird, you can find additional information at these organizations: