Hummingbird lovers use feeders to attract them. Since the main tool for attracting hummingbirds is feeding we would like to discuss this amazing bird’s diet.

Food Consumption

Understanding the hummingbird food diet will help to create a backyard habitat for them and we will be able to contribute in ways that assure their survival.  Hummingbirds survive on protein from bugs and are fueled by the nectar.  A hummingbird consumes 1/2 its weight in food per day.  One of the reasons this bird consumes this much food per day is because she beats her wings from 2000 to 3000 times per minute.

Hummingbird Diet

Hummingbirds primarily eat flower nectar, tree sap, insects and pollen. Insects provide essential protein for proper muscle and feather development and are especially critical to feed growing nestlings.  Insects are important sources of fats, salts, fiber, amino acids, and a range of nutrients critical to a balanced diet. Hummingbirds may eat from a few dozen to several hundred or even a thousand or more insects in one day, depending on the availability of insects, the type of insects, and an individual bird’s dietary needs. It has been seen hummingbirds to eat following insects:

Ants, Aphids, Beetles, Gnats, Mites, Mosquitoes, Spiders, Wasps, Weevils.  In addition to adult insects, hummingbirds will also east larvae and insect eggs.

Hummingbird’s Tongue

Researchers previously thought tube-like channels in their tongues sucked up fluid by capillary action. But the new analysis shows that their tongues actually trap nectar by curling around it.

This study, authored by ornithologists Alejandro Rico-Guevara and Margaret A. Rubega of the University of Connecticut was published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences”.

Hunting Insects

Hummingbirds hunt their prey in a variety of ways. While they may pluck a few insects from nectar-bearing flowers, it is more common for hummingbirds to hawk insects directly in the air, buzzing back and forth in short flights or hovering briefly while they use their exceptional vision to locate suitable prey.  Some hummingbirds will glean insects from leaves or bark, hovering nearby as they pluck insect after insect from different surfaces. These birds will also pluck insects from spider webs, and they will visit sap wells or soft fruits to look for insects to ingest, as well as sipping the sap and juice.