What is it about Hummingbirds that we love? I mean they’re just so darn cute and delightful to watch. Not surprisingly they get their name from the sound of their furiously flapping wings – that distinctive humming sound. So how do they keep this intensity going?
Well through sugar or course!
Hummingbirds need to consume one half of its weight daily, and they dine 5-8 times an hour. And how do we get more of these adorable creatures into our gardens? By providing lots of flowering plants that are nectar-rich. According to PlantGardener.com – the top nectar flowering plants hummingbirds are attracted to are Cardinal Flower, Bladderwort, Hollyhocks, Penstemon, Marigolds, California Poppies, Salvia, Bee Balm, Zinnia, and Bleeding Heart. But there’s many more — I was thrilled to see them hovering around my Impatiens. They also love Rhododendrons, Fuschcias, and Lupines. Nectar feeders seems to be one of the most common ways to attract them. The problem is nectar is also very attractive to bees and wasps – and these large stinging insects can be dangerous to our little friends.
Here’s a recipe for homemade nectar: 1 cup refined white sugar dissolved in 4 cups of water. Easy peesy. Not all hummingbirds are attracted to nectar feeders but all seem to be attracted to water. But they need more than that – insects, larvae, insect eggs and spiders to fulfill their protein needs. There are over 325 hummingbird species in the world. Apparently they are only found in North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. So much for the European Hummingbird – they don’t exist.
So what heartless creature would want to gobble up our lovely hummingbirds? Well it seems their nectar-rich bodies are tasty morsels for snakes, lizards and other birds. Frogs and fish have jumped up and nabbed them, mistaking our buddies for insects when they happen to be flying too low to the water.
Small birds of prey like the American kestrel, merlin, or sharp-shinned hawk, owls and raptors are also on the lookout.
Here’s some more fun facts:
Hummingbirds use their long beaks to pollinate flowers. They are not sucking up the nectar – they are actually licking 10-15 times per second!
A hummingbird’s heart rate is 1200 beats per minute. A human’s heart rate is about 60-100 by comparison.
Their wings beat 50-250 flaps a second – depending on the direction of the flight, the purpose of the flight, and the surrounding air conditions.
They have teeny-tiny legs and feet. They can’t walk or hop. They can use them to perch, preen and scratch. So much for long strolls on the beach.
Hummingbirds can’t smell but have terrific eyesight.
The bee hummingbird species is the smallest in the world measuring 2 ¼ inches long.
They live for 3-5 years.
They may be little but are one of the most aggressive bird species – particularly when they are defending their territory.
Not surprisingly they lay the smallest eggs of any bird: smaller than a jellybean.
Want to look at them closely? You can try hand feeding them. It has been done successfully by many folks. But these people are delicate and patient – being aware their meat-hooks could easily ruin the staging. Wear red and hold your bottle cap of nectar concoction in the palm of your hand. This could take a while so I would suggest having a lengthy conspiracy video/audio going on in the background.
Finally hummingbirds are great pollinators! By flying from flower to flower they pollinate the plants they feed on. Some plants can only reproduce because of hummingbird pollination. They also pollinate flowers no other animal can. Their long thin beaks allow them to get deep into the interiors of flowers that even large bees can’t reach.
Enjoy our tiny friends this summer and help them out by providing them with lots of brightly-colored nectar-rich flowers!
-Heather Wentworth