Hummingbird Food & Nectar FAQs

Use 1 part plain white table sugar to 4 parts water, for example 1/4 cup of sugar in 1 cup of water. This is the ratio recommended by Audubon and other bird organizations, and it is close to the sugar content of the flowers hummingbirds feed from. Stir until the sugar has fully dissolved, and let the nectar cool to room temperature before you fill the feeder.

No, boiling is optional. Hot water helps the sugar dissolve faster, but what keeps nectar safe is a clean feeder and changing the nectar often. If you do heat or boil the water, let the nectar cool completely before filling the feeder. Clean tap water that is safe for you to drink is fine for making nectar.

Stored in a clean, covered container in the refrigerator, extra nectar keeps for up to about a week. In the feeder it lasts much less: change it about every 1-2 days at 90°F and above, every 2-3 days in the 80s°F, and every 4-6 days in cooler weather. Throw it out at once if it looks cloudy, stringy or moldy, and clean the feeder at every refill.

Red dye is unnecessary and best avoided. Hummingbirds find a feeder by the red parts on the feeder itself, not by the color of the nectar, so coloring what they drink adds nothing. Bird organizations such as Audubon advise against adding red dye or buying red-colored nectar. Clear sugar water made at home, 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water, is all hummingbirds need.

No. Honey mixed with water ferments quickly and encourages mold and microbes that can make hummingbirds sick. Brown, raw, organic and turbinado sugars and molasses are not recommended either, and artificial sweeteners have no calories, which a hummingbird needs to survive. Plain white table sugar is the closest match to flower nectar and the only sugar to use.

Not usually. Store-bought nectar costs more than homemade and adds nothing hummingbirds need, and some brands contain red dye or preservatives. If you buy it for convenience, choose a clear product with no dye and follow the label for mixing. Homemade nectar made from 1 part plain white sugar and 4 parts water is cheap, quick and just as good.

Hummingbirds eat small insects and spiders, which supply the protein and fat that sugar water cannot. They snatch gnats, mosquitoes, fruit flies and aphids from the air or pick them off leaves and webs, and females feed insects to their chicks. Some also drink tree sap from holes drilled by sapsuckers. Avoiding pesticides helps keep that insect supply healthy.

Hummingbirds favor tubular, nectar-rich flowers, often red, orange or pink, such as bee balm, cardinal flower, trumpet honeysuckle, salvias and penstemons. Choose plants native to your region and combine early, mid-season and late bloomers so nectar is available from spring to fall. Your state native plant society or university extension service can recommend the best choices for your area.

No. Use the same 1 part plain white sugar to 4 parts water all year: it is the ratio Audubon and other bird organizations recommend, and it is close to the sugar content of natural flower nectar. What changes with the seasons is how often you replace it: about every 1-2 days at 90°F and up, every 2-3 days in the 80s°F, and every 4-6 days in cooler weather.

It depends on where you live. In eastern North America, the ruby-throated hummingbird is the only species that regularly nests. The West has more variety, including Anna's, rufous, black-chinned, broad-tailed, Allen's, Costa's and calliope hummingbirds, and Anna's stay year-round along much of the Pacific Coast. The range maps on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds show which species to expect near you.

Each guide is researched from recognized sources such as Audubon, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, the National Wildlife Federation and university extension services. It is drafted with AI-assisted tools, then reviewed and edited by the Hummingbird Food Team before it is published. Every guide lists its sources so you can check them yourself.

Use the contact page to send us the link to the guide and a short note about what looks wrong or what you would like us to cover. We read every message, check corrections against our sources, and update the guide when a fix is needed. For an injured or sick hummingbird, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator right away rather than waiting for our reply.