Date: 10/2/25 11:09 am From: Jerry Davis <jwdavis...> Subject: Re: Hummers
Thank you for your note and references. The research is replete about not needing color to attract hummingbirds and the feeders that are usually red does that with hummingbirds able to see red from 1/4 mile away. My hummingbird feeders are hanging from the eves of my house on each side of the bay window that I use to observe birds at my feeders in the back yard. Hummingbirds spend their time working the flowers in the backyard and only come to the feeders for a short drink about every 20 to 30 minutes. I do not see that they are remiss in their duties of pollination or seeking small insects in the flowers.
Your note reminds us of the situation in Costa Rica. The Costa Rica ecology police said that feeders were keeping hummingbirds from doing their ecological duty of flower pollination. The small businesses used multiple feeders for their customers to observe the different hummingbirds and this not only attracted normal business but also bird guides using this opportunity to show their birders many species of hummingbirds in one spot. These birders also economically supported the business with customer purchases. The Costa Rica ecology Police had these businesses remove their multiple feeders and restricted it to one of two feeders. There seems to be no valid research that proves the Ecology Police were right about hummingbirds neglecting their ecological duties because of the feeders.
On our 2 trips to Ecuador, our guide Lelis Navarrete that co-wrote the Fieldbook of the Birds of Ecuador said that there was no scientific justification for what the Costa Rica’s ecology police did.
From my daily observations of my hummingbirds over the past 27 years I would say that my feeders are not keeping the hummingbirds from doing their ecological duties of feeding on and pollinating plants.
Your call for more research on this subject is noted and maybe additional research will be done. I personally think that the feeders have a benefit in hummingbird survival and fat buildup for migration. People with feeders know that their birds know their address and if the feeders are not out in time, they will let you know that you are remiss in meeting their needs and timing.
Jerry Wayne Davis
Hot Springs, AR
From: Ragupathy Kannan
Sent: Saturday, September 13, 2025 10:22 A
To: <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: Hummers
I have often wondered, especially when I see hummers swarming around feeders in Costa Rica and Ecuador like pigs at the trough all day long, what long-term effects these feeders have on hummingbirds and their food plants. Recently, a local high school student and I did a small study and submitted a paper reporting that artificial colors are not necessary to attract hummingbirds. Here is our last paragraph:
"This study should also open the conversation on the utility of hummingbird feeders generally. Feeders are known to have influenced the evolution of beak sizes and the geographic ranges of hummingbirds (Greig et al. 2017, Alexandre et al. 2025) and the pollination of locally occurring wildflowers (McCaffrey and Wethington 2008). We urge ecologists to further investigate the overall effects of hummingbird feeders on the birds and the ecosystems they inhabit."
Just some food for thought....
Kannan
Ft. Smith
On Saturday 13 September, 2025 at 08:20:09 am GMT-5, Kay Hodnett <sallyportk...> wrote:
I still have a male (bit of a bully) and a female and a third undetermined. How do I put heater in feeder?
