How to Attract Hummingbirds To Your Yard

What a hummingbird yard needs

A feeder is only the start. Picture a garden that's colorful, full of food, and sheltered, a place where these tiny aerial acrobats can thrive.

Using the correct nectar recipe matters for their health. Thinking of adding honey or an artificial sweetener to the feeder? Don't. Both are harmful additives.

Nectar-rich native plants

Native plants full of nectar are the core of a hummingbird garden, and they draw hummingbirds in on their own. Your best choices depend on what's native where you live, but these are some popular picks:

• Trumpet honeysuckle
• Bee balm
• Salvia
• Cardinal flower
• Scarlet sage

Natives give hummingbirds a steady supply of nectar through the seasons. Give each plant the light and moisture it needs, so it keeps flourishing and stays a reliable food source.

Not sure what's native near you? Audubon's native plants database will turn up more hummingbird-friendly plants for your area.

Red flowers get a lot of the credit, but it's the nectar that hooks them. Other good plants that are attractive to hummingbirds include daylilies, sage, lantana, pentas, and columbine, and a yard planted with a mix of them gives hummingbirds plenty of reasons to zip from bloom to bloom.

Where to put your feeders

Feeders are a great complement to natural nectar sources, as long as you put them in the right place. Think of each one as a pit stop in a hummingbird's daily race for food.

• Hang several feeders out of sight of each other. That cuts down on territorial fights and invites a wider variety of visitors.
• Keep feeders in the shade so the nectar doesn't ferment. Use the correct sugar solution and skip honey, which can spoil faster and carry harmful bacteria.
• Clean them regularly with a simple vinegar solution to keep mold away. Leave artificial sweeteners out of the recipe too, since they don't give hummingbirds the calories they need.

Water for drinking and bathing

Fresh water matters to hummingbirds as much as it does to any other creature. Add solar water fountains, drippers, shallow basins, or misting devices so they have places to drink and bathe.

It makes for a great show, too. A hummingbird showering in a fine mist, or dipping into a fountain, is hard to beat.

With water in place alongside the flowers and feeders, your yard covers everything they need, from food to bathing.

Using red to attract hummingbirds

Red works like catnip on hummingbirds. Why? Their eyesight is exceptional and tuned to the red and yellow end of the spectrum, and they're hardwired to link red with a nectar reward.

Red flowers

Planting red or orange tubular flowers is like rolling out the red carpet. Those colors pop against green leaves and tell every hummingbird in the neighborhood that dinner's ready. Look up which flowers are native to your area and fit the bill (literally). A few good ones:

• Trumpet creeper
• Cardinal flower
• Royal catchfly

Why tubes? The shape matches a hummingbird's long bill, which makes the nectar easy to reach. Once these burst into bloom in spring, your garden becomes the go-to spot for them.

Red accents

Not every bit of red has to be a flower. Simple touches like a red ribbon around a tree or a red garden stake can catch a hummingbird's eye and steer it straight toward the nectar, and you never need artificial dye to do it. Some ideas:

• Red planting containers
• Red hummingbird swings
• Red trellises and arbors
• Red garden ornaments
• Red garden décor, like outdoor furniture cushions, wind chimes, and more

One catch. Accents only get their attention. Without real nectar-rich flowers, hummingbirds may not stick around, so do the planting first.

What hummingbirds eat besides nectar

Nectar is the headliner, but hummingbirds need more than sugar. For good health they also need protein, and they get it from insects.

Homemade nectar is still a sweet way to bring them to your feeders. Mix granulated white sugar with boiling water. Red dye? Leave it out. It can harm them.

Insects for protein

Surprise: hummingbirds are insect gourmands. They snack on tiny critters like ants, aphids, and even mosquitoes.

Those bugs are a vital part of the diet, supplying the protein a hummingbird needs for muscle and feather development, and the birds are expert hunters that pluck insects off flowers or snatch them right out of the air.

The best way to support all that hunting is to keep your garden free of pesticides. It helps the hummingbirds and the rest of the ecosystem along with them.

Leave spider webs and other natural insect habitat in place, too. They supply both food and nesting material.

Fruit and fruit flies

Fruit helps as well, mostly through the fruit flies that ripe fruit attracts. Hang a basket of overripe fruit or a few banana peels near your feeders and you've set out a buffet of tiny insects.

Grow berries? Hummingbirds can help control pesky fruit flies like the Spotted Wing Drosophila, which can wreak havoc on crops. Hang feeders near your berry patches and the hummingbirds they bring will help manage the pests.

Offer nectar, insects, and fruit flies together and hummingbirds stay healthy, with every reason to keep coming back for more.

Shelter and nesting sites

Food and water aren't everything. Hummingbirds also need cozy spots to rest, perch, and build their nests, and your yard can make them feel right at home.

Trees and shrubs

Trees and shrubs are prime real estate for hummingbirds. They offer shelter and protection, and planting a variety of native trees and large shrubs gives them potential nesting sites at the heights they like.

How high? Their preferred range is 5 to 15 feet. The exact species you choose will depend on what's native to your area, but these are some hummingbird favorites:

• Red Buckeye
• Coral Honeysuckle
• Trumpet Vine
• Red Cardinal Flower
• Bee Balm
• Red Columbine

These plants bring hummingbirds in and give them places to nest. Height is only part of it, though. They also need safe perches spread through the garden, from the overhanging limbs of vines to sturdy tree branches, so the right mix of plants makes a big difference.

Nesting materials

Female hummingbirds build the nest alone, and having the right materials nearby can make all the difference.

Hummingbird nests are made from materials like cotton fibers and moss, bound together with spiderwebs that give the nest its elasticity.

You can lend a hand by setting out fine cotton fibers and short lengths of string. Planting alder, birch, and willows, along with plants that produce soft fibers and seeds, supplies building material for future nests.

All of it goes into a sturdy nest with built-in camouflage that protects the precious cargo inside. The female shapes it with her beak and body, and it's built to expand as the chicks grow.

Keeping the habitat healthy

A safe hummingbird yard comes down to a clean feeder and gentle, sustainable pest control. Scrub the feeder weekly and rinse it with warm water to get rid of mold and harmful bacteria. Those habits protect the hummingbirds and every other animal that shares the habitat.

A handy trick: fill the feeder with a mix of water and vinegar, then shake it hard to knock the mold loose.

Cleaning your feeders

Mold and bacteria in a dirty feeder can harm hummingbirds, and regular cleaning keeps both from growing. The routine is simple:

• Scrub weekly with hot water and mild dish detergent.
• Scrub every part, including the feeding ports and any removable pieces.
• Rinse well so no soap residue is left behind.
• Clean more often in hot weather to keep the nectar fresh.

Stubborn gunk? Add dry rice to a white vinegar solution and shake. The rice works as an abrasive.

Feeder hanging in the sun? Move it somewhere cool and shaded, which slows down nectar fermentation and keeps your yard a pit stop worth making.

Organic pest control

Pest control in a hummingbird garden needs a gentle touch, since harsh chemicals can throw off your whole ecosystem.

Go with organic options like insecticidal soaps and horticultural oils, which are safe for hummingbirds once they've dried. Biopesticides work too. They're made from natural pathogens and go after pests while leaving non-target animals like hummingbirds safe.

• Time any pest control for early morning or night, when hummingbirds are less active.
• Use homemade bug sprays or organic pest control products.
• Remove weeds organically so pests can't take over your garden.

The short version

A hummingbird garden comes down to native plants, well-placed feeders, a little red, and a habitat you keep healthy. Get those in place, then sit back and enjoy the hum of their wings.

Free tool from Better With Birds: Try my Plants for Birds planner to get a native plant list for your ZIP code, filtered to the birds you're hoping to see. No email, no ads.