Hummingbirds are some of the prettiest and most interesting birds that you can find. Many people absolutely adore hummingbirds, and they try to attract them to their yards.
If you’re interested in hummingbirds, you likely already know that they are attracted to certain types of flowers and bushes. To get more of them on your property, it’s best to plant certain things in the yard that they like.
What about birdhouses, though? Can you get hummingbirds to move into a birdhouse on your property?
Will hummingbirds use birdhouses, or is that simply something that they won’t do? Read on to get more information so you can understand what to expect.
Do Hummingbirds Like Birdhouses?
Sadly, hummingbirds don’t like birdhouses. They’re going to avoid using birdhouses no matter what kind you put in your backyard.
Some might think that the color will make a difference. Hummingbirds are known to be attracted to the color red. However, this doesn’t make much of a difference whatsoever when it comes to their dislike of birdhouses.
Hummingbirds avoid birdhouses, and they won’t use them at all. You’re not going to attract more hummingbirds to your property by adding birdhouses.
What is it that makes birdhouses so unappealing to hummingbirds? Well, they’re not cavity-nesting birds.
Many types of birds nest in cavities such as hollow portions of trees. Hummingbirds aren’t wired to do this as they are cup-style nesting birds.
What Is a Cup-Style Nest?
A cup-style nest is a lot different than a cavity nest. Hummingbirds typically make nests in the forks of branches.
Hummingbird nests are pretty high up off the ground. They also feature a dense cover that provides the birds with protection from predators.
Birdhouses are cavity nests that won’t appeal to hummingbirds. You’ll only be able to attract local cavity-nesting birds with birdhouses.
If you want to attract hummingbirds to your property it’s better to focus on adding plants to the property. Adding feeders will also be helpful for keeping hummingbirds coming back to your yard.
Do Hummingbirds Sleep in Birdhouses?
No, hummingbirds aren’t going to use birdhouses. The birdhouses go against the instincts of hummingbirds.
They like to build their nests in the forks of branches or other similar spots. These types of nests are very different from birdhouses.
There are people out there who sell “hummingbird birdhouses” online. These won’t appeal to hummingbirds, so you shouldn’t waste money buying them.
Hummingbirds might nest in a tree on your property if the conditions are favorable. The most practical thing to do is to make your yard appealing to hummingbirds by adding plants to the yard.
Attracting Hummingbirds
Attracting hummingbirds is mostly about planting flowers and bushes that hummingbirds like in your yard. There are all sorts of plants that you can look into that hummingbirds will love.
These birds go from flower to flower so they can feed on nectar. If you have a lot of food sources for hummingbirds in your yard, it’ll be more likely that they’ll try to nest nearby.
You can plant many beautiful plants in your yard that hummingbirds will be able to utilize as a food source. Bee balm, hostas, trumpet honeysuckle, zinnias, flowering tobacco, catmint, penstemons, cardinal flowers, Agastache, and many other flowers will work out.
If your yard is full of flowers and bushes that appeal to hummingbirds, they’ll keep coming back time and time again. You see, hummingbirds have a very long memory and they will memorize where food sources are located in the area.
Out of convenience, hummingbirds will usually nest somewhere close to the food sources that they utilize. Therefore, planting things that hummingbirds like in the yard will make it more likely that they’ll find a natural nesting location in your yard or somewhere close to your property.
Hummingbird Feeders
You can also install hummingbird feeders on your property that will appeal to the birds. Feeders will be a practical way to keep the local hummingbirds fed and happy.
These feeders can be made at home, but you can also buy a feeder if you’d rather do that. The easiest way to keep the feeder stocked will be to make your own homemade nectar.
It isn’t difficult to do in any way. All you need to have to make the nectar is sugar and water.
Use four parts water and one part sugar to make the nectar. Combine the sugar and the water until the sugar has dissolved completely.
Hummingbirds will love this nectar and will continue to come back to your yard to eat. Place the nectar in a feeder and the birds will enjoy it.
You can make extra hummingbird nectar and store it in your refrigerator. This will allow you to easily restock the feeders when the time is right.
Refresh/Replenish the Hummingbird Feeder Regularly
The nectar that you put in the hummingbird feeder isn’t going to stay good forever. You can’t just leave it in the feeder and expect things to be fine.
During the hot days of summer, the nectar will go bad quickly. When it’s hot outside, you should change the nectar once every two days to be safe.
If the temperatures are mild, you should be able to wait one week to change the nectar in the feeders. Either way, pay attention to the feeders and check them regularly.
The hummingbirds might clear out your feeder fast depending on how many are in your area. If you replenish the feeders often, the hummingbirds will learn that they can count on the feeder as a food source.
How Long Do Hummingbirds Live?
Hummingbirds can actually live for many years. The average life expectancy of hummingbirds is said to be between three and five years.
Some hummingbirds have managed to live for longer than ten years, though. The lifespan of a hummingbird will depend on various factors such as its ability to find food and how well it avoids predators.
It’s possible that you might see hummingbirds coming back to your yard for many years to come. Researchers have been able to note that some hummingbirds will return to the same locations each year.
There are hummingbirds that have traveled to warmer places during certain times of the year and then migrated back to the yards where they fed in the prior season.
These birds truly do have remarkable memories. So if you love hummingbirds, you can potentially see them come back to your yard every year for quite some time.
How Fast Are Hummingbirds?
If you’ve ever observed hummingbirds before, you already know that they’re rather fast. You might be wondering exactly how fast they are.
Hummingbirds are very fast and an average hummingbird is capable of flying at speeds of 25-30 MPH. There are certain types of hummingbirds that are even faster.
For instance, a hummingbird known as Anna’s hummingbird is capable of flying as fast as 50 MPH. It can be hard to see these birds sometimes as they fly around very fast and make very sudden movements.
It’s impressive that these little birds are capable of such speed. Knowing how fast they are might help you to gain a greater appreciation for them.
Hummingbirds Don’t Rest Often
There’s a chance that you might not have ever seen a hummingbird at rest. Generally, these birds are constantly moving and they remain in the air most of the time.
Some people have even spread myths about these birds. The myths say that hummingbirds die when they stop moving and decide to rest.
This isn’t true, but hummingbirds certainly don’t rest often. They have rather weak legs and this means that they don’t walk very well.
Hummingbirds remain in the air and they fly most of the time. Sometimes they will stop to rest and their heartbeats will slow down when they do so.
The metabolism rate of the hummingbird lowers when it’s resting and its body temperature decreases as well. When hummingbirds stop flying, they’re typically going to sleep.
It’s common for hummingbirds to perch on branches and sleep every so often. This doesn’t happen a lot, but they do still need to rest from time to time.
You might see hummingbirds stay in a nest over the night as well. Another reason hummingbirds will stop moving involves being injured.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know that hummingbirds don’t like birdhouses, you’ll know not to focus on that. Birdhouses can still be useful if you’re interested in attracting other birds to your yard, but they won’t help with hummingbirds.
To get hummingbirds to come to your yard, it’s best to plant flowers and bushes that they like. This will give them a chance to feed in your yard and they’ll keep coming back.
You can also place feeders in your yard and fill them with homemade nectar. This homemade nectar is made using water and sugar.
If your yard has plenty of food for the hummingbirds, they’ll keep coming around. They have great memories and will see your yard as a great source of food.
The hummingbirds might choose to nest near your yard or in your yard somewhere. These birds nest in the forks of trees and they generally nest in high locations that are densely covered.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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