Do Other Birds Drink From Hummingbird Feeders

Draw hummingbirds to your garden by placing hummingbird feeders at strategic locations.

Hummingbirds naturally sip nectar from flowers, and hummingbird feeders simulate this by providing the birds with sugar water. Hummingbirds are not the only birds that drink from hummingbird feeders, however, and there is a risk that they will be out-competed for their food by other birds.

Types

According Birdwatching Bliss, orioles, house finches and woodpeckers are all birds that are drawn to hummingbird feeders. These birds tend to be larger than the hummingbirds and they can crowd the smaller birds away.

Prevention

If you do not wish to feed other birds at the hummingbird feeder, use hummingbird feeders without perches. Hummingbirds are able to hover in midair, allowing them to sip from the hummingbird feeder, while the other birds cannot.

Alternative

Set up hummingbird feeders throughout the yard. This gives the different birds the ability to move from feeder to feeder, feeding both hummingbirds and the other species.

References

• Birdwatching Bliss: Hummingbird Feeders
• The Scoop on Wild Birds and Feeders: Hummingbird Feeder: Your Own Backyard Gallery of Artistic Delight