We had a female downie one year that just sat on one of the feeders much of the day guzzling. We called her our little diabetic bird since she coveted that sugar water so much. Gotta love those long beaks & tongues.
Karen Hart. Little Rock Hillcrest.
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From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Jerry Davis <jwdavis...>
Sent: Tuesday, October 7, 2025 8:21:50 PM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: Downy at hummingbird feeder
Downy, Hairy, and Red-belly woodpeckers and orioles use the hummingbird
feeders often. The adults even show the young on the year how to do it,
so the use continues for generations at my place. Sometimes the use is
so frequent that it seems to irritate the hummingbirds because they
cannot use it until the woodpeckers leave.
Jerry Wayne Davis
Hot Springs
On 2025-10-07 5:41 pm, zoe caywood wrote:
> I found this quite unusual as I looked out at hummingbird feeder and
> there was a large bird feeding voraciously on the nectar!! It was a
> female downy, dipping her beak & gulping the sugar water! I have fed
> 140 lbs of sugar this year, but certainly have never seen another bird
> except hummers!!!
>
> Sent from my iPhone
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