Wildlife Watching Wednesday: Hummingbirds In The Garden
By: Tom Berg
Hummingbirds are amazing little creatures. They are the smallest birds that will visit your back yard this summer, and they are definitely one of the most interesting. Hummingbirds can hover in mid-air, and they are also the only birds that can fly backwards.
The most common species of hummingbird in the Midwest and eastern United States is the ruby-throated hummingbird. Although there are more than a dozen hummingbird species that migrate north into the USA every spring, the four most common species are the ruby-throated hummingbird, the black-chinned hummingbird, the Anna’s hummingbird and the rufous hummingbird.
These tiny creatures can beat their wings as many as 80 times per second, and their heart rate can exceed 1,200 beats per minute! The high sugar content in the nectar they drink helps support their high metabolism. As a matter of fact, they can tell if a flower’s nectar contains less than 10% sugar, and they will seek out those flowers with a higher sugar content. Of course, they also eat tiny insects like ants and gnats while visiting flowers in the garden, and the insects provide valuable protein and nutrients.
Hummingbirds will visit trumpet vines, columbine, butterfly bush, honeysuckle, morning glory, hostas, phlox and even petunias! Plant these flowers in your garden and you’ll be sure to attract hummingbirds. They are also attracted to sugar water feeders placed by people. White granulated sugar is perfect for hummingbird feeders, at a ratio of 1 cup of sugar to 4 cups of water. Don’t add red food coloring to the nectar mixture; it is unnecessary and could harm the tiny birds.
One of the most amazing things about hummingbirds is that most of them migrate from Mexico, Central America and even South America every year to breed in the United States. Many make a nonstop flight of over 500 miles directly over the Gulf of Mexico, and some travel up to 1,200 miles during their migration.
So sit in your garden this summer and enjoy these beautiful and amazing birds while they are here!
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