How to Make a Wine Bottle Hummingbird Feeder

Make your own hummingbird feeder.

Many people like to watch hummingbirds because they are pretty and have elegant body lines. These small, colorful birds dart and flit through flowers and tree branches, shying away from human observation. To attract hummingbirds, some hang hummingbird feeders from their porches, fences or trees. You can make a hummingbird feeder at home with a few simple tools and a wine bottle. This not only gives hummingbirds a place to feed near your home, it also gives you a way to recycle your wine bottles instead of tossing them.

Things You'll Need

• Clear wine bottle
• 12 gauge craft wire
• Pliers
• Wire snips
• Warm water
• Scrub brush
• Vegetable oil
• Red food coloring
• Saucepan
• Wooden spoon
• Sugar
• Funnel
• Hummingbird feeder tube

Instructions

1. Rinse and dry an empty wine bottle. Make sure there is no wine left; the scent will drive away hummingbirds. Dampen labels with warm water and peel them off, using oil and a scrub brush to remove any paper or adhesive left behind.

2. Wrap 12 gauge craft wire around the neck of your wine bottle, just under the lip of the opening. Wrap 3 or 4 coils close together around the neck, then wrap the wire up the bottle, spacing the coils about 3 inches apart. At the base of the bottle, bend the wire into a loop and twist the loop closed.

3. Bring water to a simmer in a medium-sized saucepan and dissolve about a cup of sugar into the water. Warming the water makes it easier to dissolve the sugar. The scent of the sugar will help draw hummingbirds since they feed on sweet flower nectar.

4. Drip about 5 drops of red food coloring into the sugar water and stir it in. The red color will also draw hummingbirds. Allow the water to cool to room temperature before pouring it through a funnel into the wine bottle.

5. Push a hummingbird feeder tube into the bottle's opening, making sure the cork is secure. Turn the bottle upside-down and hang it wherever you like. Hummingbirds will find it and begin feeding in no time.

References

• Trails: How to Make a Bird Feeder Out of a Wine Bottle
• Professor's House: Recycling Wine Bottles