Ruby-throated hummers at my feeder

The smallest bird in North America, the ruby-throated hummingbird is a vibrant green on its back and white underneath. The males have a distinctive red throat, which is where they get their name. These birds are incredibly agile flyers, and they are also able to hover in mid-air as they feed on nectar from flowers.

Hummingbird food recipe

An often asked question is, how do you make hummingbird food? I too had this question, so I Googled it and found a simple recipe. One unit of sugar to four units of water. So for this feeder, I used a half-cup of sugar and added two cups of water. I did not add any red dye. What you see in the video is some leftover dye from some purchased food I once used. (It never attracted any hummers!)

only use white cane sugar for feed

The birds are capable of rapidly beating their wings more than 50 times a second. It’s possible to hear the beat of the wings, which name a humming sound, hence the bird’s name. Although Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are not endangered, they are still frequent victims of window collisions and regularly fall prey to outdoor cats and other predators.

Excellent swimmers?!

Did you know that ruby-throated hummingbirds are also expert swimmers? They have been known to dive into the water in order to catch insects. Although they are small birds, ruby-throated hummingbirds are feisty creatures that are not afraid to defend their territory. Given the chance, they will even attack much larger birds, such as hawks! Clearly, the ruby-throated hummingbird is a fascinating and formidable creature.

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