What is the Best Hummingbird Feeder?

best hummingbird feeders

best hummingbird feeders

Just about everyone has been amazed by the hummingbird and one way to draw them to your home is to find the best hummingbird feeder for your yard.  How such a tiny creature can be so fast and energetic is fascinating to us, not to mention the beautiful colors and crazy flight patterns that catch our attention.  They are so fascinating to us that we have taken the act of feeding them to an almost artistic level.  Everyone who feeds these little mesmerizing flyers has their favorite tricks to attract them, their favorite recipe for the syrup, and their favorite feeder.

Since the first feeder was mass-produced and sold in 1950 by the Audubon Novelty Company, there have been several designs, redesigns, and configurations of feeders.  So where does that lead us?  What is the best hummingbird feeder available?

There are a few guidelines that will help you in making the decision to find the best hummingbird feeder.

best hummingbird feeders

First and foremost, the best hummingbird feeder should have few parts, be easily disassembled, and easy to clean.  The more complicated a feeder is to deal with, the less likely you are to keep up with the filling and maintenance, which is extremely important.   Hummingbirds need clean, fresh syrup to drink to keep them healthy and flying.  For this consideration, the basin-style feeders are a popular choice. This type of feeder has very few parts and is easily cleaned and maintained.

The most popular basin feeders usually hold anywhere from 8 to 16 ounces of syrup.  Higher capacities are available, but may not be the best hummingbird feeder : holding more syrup means that the feeder will dispense food for a longer period of time, allowing for more of a chance of spoilage. Keeping your feeder to a minimum of around 12 ounces is ideal.

best hummingbird feeders

It has long been accepted that hummingbirds need to see the color red in order to feed from a feeder. The truth is that they will feed from any container holding a fresh source of syrup, so red is not necessary for the feeder, nor is it necessary to add it to the syrup.

One important tip to remember when feeding your birds is that you should never use anything other than a mixture of one part plain sugar and four parts water; anything else can cause them to become sick. Commercial mixes are available but not required and using things such as honey or fruit flavored gelatin mixes will only cause problems for the tiny birds.

Simplicity is definitely the key to finding the best hummingbird feeder available.

Try to resist overly ornate designed feeders. The best hummingbird feeder are the ones that are easiest  to maintain, the more likely you are to keep the feeder clean and filled, and the more chances you will get to see that magical little creature enjoying its drink outside your window or in your yard.

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