How to Make a Hummingbird Feeder Using a Soda Bottle

A hummingbird perches on a feeder.

Use a leftover soda pop bottle to make a hummingbird feeder. Hummingbirds drink nectar instead of eating seeds. Their thin beaks draw the nectar from the cap reservoir in this type of feeder. You can decorate the feeder with fake flowers or paint, if desired. Place the feeder in a low-traffic area to attract more hummingbirds, like off a tree or away from pet areas.

Things You'll Need

• Empty, clean soda pop bottle with lid
• Large nail
• Hammer
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Paper towel or napkin
• Lid larger than the soda bottle lid
• Hummingbird nectar or sugar water
• Wire or coat hanger
• Wire cutters

Instructions

1. Place the soda pop lid on a flat surface, thread-side down.

2. Hold the tip of the nail in the center of the lid. Use the hammer to tap a hole into the lid with the nail. Remove the nail. Make three to five more holes in the lid as close as possible to the first hole. Add holes until you have made enough perforations to allow you to push out the center part of the plastic, making a large hole.

3. Plug in the hot glue gun to preheat it. Thread the paper towel or napkin through the hole in the lid. About one-quarter of the paper towel should stick out of the non-threaded side. Set the smaller soda pop lid into the larger lid. The larger lid should be at least an inch larger in diameter than the soda pop lid. The paper towel holds the bottom of the soda pop lid high enough off the bottom of the larger lid to leave a gap after the glue dries.

4. Place four large drops of hot glue at the "corners," where the top and sides meet, of the soda pop lid. The hot glue needs to touch both the bottom of the larger lid and the sides of both lids.

5. Pull the paper towel from the smaller lid and throw it away after the hot glue is dry.

6. Fill the bottle with hummingbird nectar or sugar water. Screw the lid on. Flip it upside-down and set it on a flat surface outside.

7. Wrap a medium gauge wire or cut coat hanger around the soda pop bottle, about two inches from the bottom. Leave a 5- to 6-inch piece of wire hanging off the bottle. Bend it into a hook to go around a tree or pole to hang. Apply a thin layer hot glue on either side of the wire to hold it in place.

References

• World of Hummingbirds: Making a Hummingbird Feeder