Is it okay for my hummingbird friend to be addicted to my hummingbird feeder? It’s made with white sugar and lots of water but the feeder goes down fast! There are flowers around but wow!
Introduction
Absolutely, I have used sugar in my hummingbird feeders for years, and they enjoy it as much as store-bought items. You can even Google alternative choices to fill your hummingbird feeders. Good luck, and let me know how you make out!
What Hummingbirds Actually Need
It is indeed helpful to feed them with the right diet, but it is crucial not to provide them with 'rubbish'. Instead, use something called 'bug juice' or similar fortified hummingbird food to ensure their health.
Understanding Hummingbird Feeding Habits
Your hummingbird friend is just fine. There is no evidence from studies or serious observations that hummingbirds exclusively rely on feeders. They may use feeders as a dominant energy source, especially sugar, but they also visit flowers and eat lots of insects—more than anyone realized or understood until field observations started connecting the dots a couple of decades ago. Nectar is lacking in amino acids and proteins. It doesn’t matter if it is real floral nectar or simple sucrose solutions in feeders; the nectar provides the birds' main source of carbohydrate energy. Hummingbirds get their protein, most important vitamins, and minerals, and their lipids predominantly through eating insects.
Hummingbirds' Diet: More Than Just Sugar
A hummingbird at your feeder is not addicted to the sugar. They are playing it smart by staying close to home and saving time. They eat lots of sugar, and even convert some to storage. And when you are not seeing specific individuals at the feeder, they are most likely off nabbing insects… lots of them. Hummingbirds are indeed smart and efficient in their feeding habits.
Ensuring a Balanced Diet
I won't claim to know the best components of hummingbird feed, but extrapolating from other creatures, including us, I would suggest you try to find a more well-rounded diet. At the very least, adding some vitamins to the feeder would be a safer option.
Feeding Options
There are several varieties of 'complete' hummingbird food available for purchase. Additionally, during breeding season, they feed their chicks with a variety of small insects containing proteins, calcium, and other nutrients needed for normal growth. As it is well known, sugar water contains empty calories, which might be good to provide a quick burst of energy to go on and find more nutritious foodstuffs. But nothing I’m aware of can live on a diet of refined white sugar.
Hummingbirds' Feeding Behavior
I also cannot claim to know what goes on in a hummingbird's mind, but many animal/bird species tend to be lazy, and if provided with an easy, tasty substitute, they will often choose that to their detriment. It sounds like you really appreciate your hummingbirds, so please take the time to find out what type of diet they really need to thrive.
Unfortunately, many animals will choose what's easier or tastier over what's best for them in the long run.