News

A recent study regarding electrolytes in hummingbird nectar has caught our eye and products are being distributed on a national scale. In the best interest of hummingbirds we believe the research is flawed. We will continue our evaluation and search for the best nectar possible. Our Analysis of the Electrolyte study Twenty-one (21) Ruby-throated hummingbirds (wild captured) were measured for mass and cloacal fluid content during an 11 hour analysis (2 analysis per animal). We feel the study was poorly conceived and implemented. 1) Inappropriate "Outlier" Exclusion In this study, seven (7) birds were excluded on the basis of a...

A hummingbird's hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and learning, is up to five times bigger than the hippocampus of other birds, according to a study from The Royal Society. The result is that the birds remember which flowers they've visited, their locations and when they'll have nectar again. Given that they can visit a thousand or more flowers a day and can fly 500 miles before resting, pretty amazing.

PLEASE CLEAN YOUR HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS WELL Humans who feed hummingbirds can be one of the first steps where pathogen transmission can be decreased by instituting proper preventive measures such as diligent hummingbird feeder cleaning. Soaking and scrubbing with a 50/50 vinegar/ water ratio can eliminate molds and bacteria. Also, washing with bleach can help. But rinse well. And using a small brush on the food ports will keep their little bills fresh and clean. Detergents and soaps are not suggested at they leave a residue.  First report of laboratory-diagnosedavian poxvirus infection in a hummingbird https://www.jwildlifedis.org/doi/pdf/10.7589/2012-09-230 CHARACTERIZATION OF AVIAN POXVIRUS IN...

JELLY I am not an enthusiast of feeding jelly to birds---it attracts bees, especially the Africanized type and Bald-faced hornets. And the bird droppings are very staining. In parallel, Laura Erickson reports that "Kent Mahaffey, who was manager of the San Diego Wild Animal Park's famous free-flight Bird Show for more than two decades. Kent had primary care responsibility for hundreds of birds from many families. He said he would never allow any birds under his care to have jelly. He added the following: In general, any food that exceeds the balance of sucrose in a bird's natural diet is suspect. Natural...

A big title for a research paper but essentially it is " Most microbes in hummingbird feeders do not pose health hazard"https://phys.org/news/2019-03-microbes- ... ealth.htmlIt basically says: "They also found that birds, feeder sugar-water, and flowers hosted distinct bacterial and fungal communities" and "However, a tiny fraction of those microbes has been associated with disease, so we encourage everyone who provides feeders for hummingbirds to clean their feeders on a regular basis and to avoid cleaning feeders in areas where human food is prepared."