How to Feed a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
- 1
A standard hummingbird feeder works fine.filling station image by John Sfondilias from Fotolia.com
Provide a hummingbird feeder for your ruby-throated hummingbirds. Feeders come in a wide variety of shapes and styles. Standard feeders are available at most any local garden center. Craft fairs or artisan websites usually offer unique, handcrafted styles. Choose one that fits your budget and garden decor. - 2). Fill the feeder with nectar for the ruby-throated hummingbirds. You can purchase commercial mixes, or you can make your own at home. According to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park's Migratory Bird Center, use a simple mixture of one part sugar to four parts water. Bring it to a boil in a saucepan, until the sugar is dissolved, then cool before filling the feeder with it.
- 3). Hang the hummingbird feeder out in spring, around late April. Find a shady site under a tree or porch overhang. Too much exposure to sun can cause the nectar to ferment, or grow bacteria that may be harmful to the birds.
- 4). Check the feeder every three to five days. If nectar is getting low, or if it is getting cloudy, bring it in. Cloudy nectar can mean that it is fermenting, or growing dangerous bacteria or molds. Clean the hummingbird feeder thoroughly with hot soapy water, rinse and refill with fresh nectar. Re-hang the feeder in the same place.
- 5
Hummingbirds are attracted to trumpet-shaped flowers.orange honeysuckle (lonicera ciliosa) image by Yali Shi from Fotolia.com
Provide flowering plants in your garden that ruby-throated hummingbirds find attractive. Trumpet-shaped flowers that are orange or red are the most desirable, but flowers of other colors will work as well. For the best chance at success, choose proven varieties, like cardinal flower, trumpet creeper, honeysuckle and petunia. - 6
Attract small, flying insects with native wildflowers.bee on queen"s lace image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com
Maintain native plantings and meadow areas in your yard to encourage small, flying insects. Ruby-throated hummingbirds need insects as an essential part of their diet, especially during the breeding season. Native plants, such as Queen Ann's lace and purple coneflower, will draw them in.
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