Birdfeeders

Everybody knows that hummingbirds drink nectar out of hummingbird feeders as well as taking nectar from flowers, but many people do not know that a substantial part of their diet consists of spiders and insects. Hummingbirds have the highest metabolism of any warm-blooded animal, so they must feed constantly during the day in order to satisfy their calorie needs. In spite of being quite small, hummingbirds are very aggressive and ready to attack other hummingbirds, larger birds or even humans who they think are threatening their food source. During times when many hummers are fighting for use of hummingbird feeders, not only is there a lot of territorial behavior, but they can get quite upset when we approach the hummingbird feeders even to fill them. In early spring, you may even find Orioles trying to feed at hummingbird feeders. If this happens, be sure to put up Oriole feeders and you will have them visiting all summer while they raise their young nearby.

Hummingbirds range from southwestern Alaska to the Straits of Magellan. However, the number of species definitely diminishes as you move farther away from the Equator. In North America, only the Ruby-throated hummingbird breeds east of the Mississippi, but there are 14 other species in the West and in the mountains of the Southwest. No hummers breed on the praires of the Great Plains. Most of our species are migratory and the Ruby-throated crosses the Gulf of Mexico and winters in Central America.