Last updated on May 10th, 2023 at 10:01 am
Setting up a nectar feeder is one of the best ways to attract hummingbirds to your yard, but it’s important to pick a good and attractive feeder. Color can be an important factor in how attractive a nectar feeder is to hummingbirds.
Hummingbirds are not attracted to blue feeders. Their eyes are much more sensitive to colors like red and yellow, whereas the color blue appears muted and can easily blend in with the background. However, once hummingbirds have learned about a nectar source, color does not matter.
Why Hummingbirds Are Not Attracted to Blue Feeders
Hummingbirds are not attracted to blue feeders because of the way that their retinal cones are concentrated.
These cones are so densely concentrated and filled with pigment that the world appears visually filtered through the eyes of a hummingbird.
This highlights warm colors like red, orange, and yellow while muting cool colors like blue, green, and purple.
Research has proven that hummingbirds can learn to ignore color when hunting for nectar.
They will always look for the greatest sources of nectar, and if they find nectar in a flower or feeder of cool color, they will return to it.
It just might take longer for the hummingbirds to find that nectar source in the first place.
Differences Between Hummingbird Vision and Human Vision
Hummingbirds can actually see a much broader spectrum of color than humans. Where humans have three color-sensitive cones in their eyes, hummingbirds have four.
The fourth type is sensitive to ultraviolet light, which means that hummingbirds can see colors like ultraviolet green and ultraviolet red, colors that we can only imagine.
Hummingbirds can also associate certain colors with sugar water in a laboratory environment, regardless of which colors are used.
That means that although they naturally prefer reddish colors, they can also learn a preference for other colors, even the ultraviolet colors that we cannot see.
Interestingly, hummingbirds are not alone in their ability to see the fourth dimension of colors in this way. In fact, all birds share this trait.
Because they possess this skill, they are known as tetrachromats.
In some cases, birds’ extra color differentiation allows them to see things that we cannot, like the differences between a male and female of a species.
The male Yellow-breasted Chat, for example, has ultraviolet feathers on its chest that the female of the species does not.
How To Attract Hummingbirds to Your Feeder
You can do several things to attract more hummingbirds to your feeder regardless of their color.
How you place the feeder and take care of it can make a big difference, and adding water features and plants can draw hummingbirds to your area as well.
Place the Feeder Near Trees or Shrubs
By placing your hummingbird feeder near trees or shrubs, you provide hummingbirds with an easy way to fly to cover if necessary.
Feeders can be dangerous for birds since they require them to go out into the open, but you can mitigate this risk by providing vegetation where the hummingbirds can escape.
Provide a Water Mister
Hummingbirds don’t drink water because they get the liquid they need from nectar.
However, they like bathing in water, especially when the water is lightly dripping or spraying in a mist.
Even the noise of a water mister can be attractive to a hummingbird, and the glistening of wet leaves or stones can capture a bird’s eye while it’s flying by.
Use a Red Feeder or Red Accents
As a general rule, red is the best color for attracting hummingbirds.
Therefore, using a red feeder is generally the best way to attract them.
You can attract hummingbirds to a feeder of a different color by adding red accents to it, like by tying red ribbons around the feeder or onto nearby trees and shrubs.
Install an Ant Moat
If ants take over your nectar feeder, it can reduce the nectar quality and keep hummingbirds from being able to feed.
Thankfully, it is relatively easy to keep ants away simply by installing an ant moat like the Gesail Ant Moat (from Amazon.com).
These ant moats hang above a hummingbird feeder and hold water, preventing ants from being able to climb into the nectar.
Change the Nectar Daily
Changing the nectar in a hummingbird feeder every day is essential to keeping the feeder clean and safe for hummingbirds.
Hummingbird nectar easily goes bad if it sits outside too long, especially in hot weather.
It can grow mold or bacteria or ferment and cause hummingbirds to get sick.
Changing the nectar out for fresh nectar daily prevents this.
Are Hummingbirds Attracted to Blue Flowers?
Hummingbirds are attracted to blue flowers even though the colors appear muted to them. This is because they know these flowers have a good supply of nectar.
An example of a blueish flower loved by hummingbirds is the Catmint plant, a perennial with lavender-blue, tubular flowers.
Which Flowers Do Hummingbirds Like Best?
Hummingbirds like a broad range of flowers, but all have a tubular shape and a tendency to produce a lot of nectar.
Hummingbirds tend to gravitate towards red, orange, and pink flowers, but they will also visit purple and blue flowers, especially if they’ve learned that they are full of nectar.
Petunias
Petunias are a great choice for attracting hummingbirds and bees alike.
They have large, tubular flowers that open wide in a trumpet shape, and they come in many different colors.
A single petunia plant typically grows 6”-10” tall and 10”- 30” wide, so make sure you plan your garden accordingly.
The petunia is an annual, meaning that it lasts one season.
Bee Balm
Another great choice for attracting hummingbirds is bee balm, which comes in bright red, pink, and purple, and they flower in clusters that look similar to pom-poms.
The flowers are tubular and hold plenty of nectar, attracting both hummingbirds and bees.
These plants are perennials, so they last year to year. Deer and rabbits will typically leave bee balm alone.