What Do Hummingbirds Like?

Just What Are Their Favorite Things In Life?

By Richard Worden


From the high speeds at which they flap their wings to their long tongues and tiny bodies, hummingbirds are fascinating. The best part is that you can attract one to your garden. To accomplish this, you need to know what do hummingbirds like to have in a garden.

Hummingbirds like drinking nectar, bright colors, and warm climates. When they nest, they like to be high up and sheltered to provide enough safety for their babies. If you provide them with something bright and sweet, you will surely see hummingbirds flocking to your garden.

In the rest of this article, I’ll explain everything you need to know about hummingbirds, including their favorite nesting sites, their favorite snacks, the perfect accessories to buy to attract them, and the best flowers to keep in your garden. This article is a comprehensive guide to attracting hummingbirds to your yard.

What do hummingbirds like

What Attracts Hummingbirds?

Leaving out their favorite flowers or a simple nectar drink is a surefire way to keep the delightful creatures returning for more. However, you can also do a few other things to attract them.

Hummingbirds are attracted to bright flowers, shelter, nesting areas, and small insects or grubs. Growing and maintaining trees and shrubs will increase the likelihood of hummingbirds residing in your garden.

One of the best ways to attract hummingbirds to your area is by creating an easy nesting place. Finding a high, secluded location to place a platform can encourage female hummingbirds to lay their eggs and rear their young right outside your house.

You might want to consider a small birdhouse for them, but this isn't a requirement. Any sheltered platform will suffice.

They also love to eat small insects and spiders. If you grow crops in your garden, consider ditching the pesticides for a more natural solution, like a greenhouse or mesh cover. The more biodiversity your garden has, the more hummingbirds will visit. You may find an increase in all sorts of birds if you let insects run wild in your garden.

If you’re still worried, ask your local garden center for good plant-protecting options.

What Flowers Do Hummingbirds Like?

Hummingbirds are tiny, hovering birds with long tongues that make gathering nectar easy. Having the right flowers in your garden is one of the easiest ways to attract the hummingbird.

Hummingbirds like bright, tubular flowers that produce a lot of nectar. They come in multiple colors and usually have a long tube-like structure through which the hummingbird can drink the flower’s nectar.

Here are some flowers that are incredibly enticing to hummingbirds:

  • Bee balm
  • Cardinal Flower
  • Butterfly Bush
  • Zinnia
  • Salvia
  • Lupine
  • Bleeding Heart

If you want to attract hummingbirds to your garden, you can do so easily and cheaply. Amazon sells this great Wildflower Seeds Butterfly and Humming Bird Mix at a reasonable price. Just sprinkle these in your yard for a beautiful array of flowers that hummingbirds will love. 

They also attract butterflies, so your garden will be flooded with color from both the flowers and the butterflies.

Learn More Hummingbird 2


Can you ever have too many Hummingbirds in your garden? I think not! Want more? This helpful article of mine about attracting Hummingbirds to your garden is a must read!

What Do Hummingbirds Like To Drink?

Hummingbirds like to drink nectar from flowers. Their high wing-flapping rate requires a lot of energy, which they gain from the nectar they drink. They use the sugar solution in nectar to fuel themselves.

This energy boost allows them to beat their wings up to 80 times a second. The rapid and controlled wing-flapping rate makes them appear to be hovering in the same spot.

However, hummingbirds also like the easy route. They choose nectar for its sugar content and will go for any available sugar solution. Putting a sugar water solution on your windowsill or garden can be a great way to attract local hummingbirds. The best way to entice them into drinking is to add a flavorless dye to brighten the solution. However, before proceeding, you should ensure the brand you use is safe for them.

Here is a helpful YouTube video that shows you the best way to make a hummingbird nectar.


What Color Do Hummingbirds Like Best?

Hummingbirds like the color red best, with yellow being a close second. They love bright colors on the warmer end of the spectrum, so reds, yellows, and oranges are their favorite. Blues and purples appear duller to them, so avoiding them is better.

Scientists have researched this color preference in hummingbirds and found that they can see colors that our human brains can only imagine. In flowers, feeders, and other attractions, they tend to go for colors on the warmer side of the color spectrum. what do hummingbirds like
As long as the color is bright, warm, and noticeable, the hummingbirds will love it.

Do Hummingbirds Like Hot or Cold Weather?

Hummingbirds like hot weather but struggle in the cold. Despite their small size, North American hummingbirds are migratory and will spend their winters in warmer places. Southern places may still have hummingbirds during winter, but they avoid areas with freezing temperatures.

hummingbird on limb

This preference has less to do with the bird and more with their food source. Hummingbirds feast on nectar and insects for energy, both of which are in short supply during winter. 

In the winter, many flowering plants go dormant, or the flowers die, and insects can become inaccessible in the frozen ground. Thus, hummingbirds follow their food source to the south in the winter and return to the north when the weather gets warmer.

What Feeders Do Hummingbirds Like Best?

You can get several beautiful designs for your hummingbird feeders, but they mostly cater to the aesthetics of the people using them, not the birds themselves. If you want a great feeder that will attract hummingbirds to your garden, anything shallow and brightly colored will do the trick.

Hummingbirds like shallow, brightly colored feeders best. Bright, warm colors are their favorite, so you should go for feeders in red or yellow tones. The feeder should be shallow enough for them to stand in comfortably.

If you want a feeder to grab their attention, your best option is a bright, warm color. This KRUOO Hummingbird Feeder on Amazon comes in bright red with a yellow floral design. You can get this one for a very reasonable price, and it easily hangs from branches or birdfeeders in your yard.

Another option from Amazon is this SEWANTA Hummingbird Feeder. It comes with two feeders and dispenses the nectar slowly to avoid spoiling or spilling it. Its bright red design will have hummingbirds flocking to your yard.

Learn More Hummingbird 2


Hummingbirds can be fussy eaters, that's why it's important to choose just the right feeder. Here's a helpful article of mine that reviews the feeders Hummingbirds like the most...

Do Hummingbirds Like Feeders in the Sun or Shade?

Hummingbirds like feeders in both the sun and the shade, but it’s best to opt for a shaded spot. While hummingbirds love basking around in the sun, nectar spoils easily. Keeping the feeder in a slightly shaded spot can prevent the nectar from spoiling too quickly.

Don't keep it completely hidden, though. The nectar may fare best in the shade, but you want the hummingbirds to know it's there. Placing your feeder within reach of dappled sunlight can alert hummingbirds to your feeder without destroying the contents of the feeder. 

A sparse tree or bush would be the best place for it.

What Kind of Birdhouses Do Hummingbirds Like?

Hummingbirds usually don't need a birdhouse. An adult hummingbird will happily sleep by itself on tree branches among vegetation.

Hummingbirds like small, cozy birdhouses for their chicks during nesting season. Providing a birdhouse can be a great way to encourage hummingbirds to nest in your area, especially if there aren’t any naturally existing holes or nooks for them to nest in.

Due to their tiny size, a hummingbird house can be a cheap and incredibly worthwhile addition to your garden. You can get them on Amazon at pretty cheap rates, like the NATUREYLWL Hummingbird House. This birdhouse has a handy hook, so you can hang it from anywhere or nail it outside a tree. As long as there is shelter, hummingbirds will love this opportunity for a safe home.

What Kind of Bird Baths Do Hummingbirds Like?

Hummingbirds like almost any kind of birdbath, as long as it is relatively shallow. It should be shallow in at least one place to accommodate their small frames, and the water should come up to the edge so they can drink from it easily.

If you are only interested in hummingbirds, Amazon has some attractive options explicitly designed for small birds. The WUFEILY Hanging Bird Bath on Amazon is reasonably priced and has a bright, colorful flower design that is both aesthetically pleasing and practical for the hummingbird. It won't be much use for bigger birds, though.

Learn More Hummingbird 4

Hummingbirds love a good birdbath, but not just anyone will do! This helpful article of mine offers tips on chosing the right one, as well as reviewing those Hummingbird birdbaths that attract them the most.

What Do Hummingbirds Like?...Conclusion

Whether you are a beginner birdwatcher who wants to attract hummingbirds to your garden or an avid fan trying to create the perfect environment for them, this guide should help you make a start.

Hummingbirds are simple creatures. If you can fill up a bright birdfeeder with sticky, sweet liquid and live in the Americas, you will likely find hummingbirds aplenty on your doorstep. Good luck with birdwatching!


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About Me


About the Author...
Richard Worden, a dedicated bird lover for over 20 years, I love to share my in-depth knowledge and passion for birds. Read more About Me and my expertise in this field.

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