Their feeding habits, their ability to hover, and their being the smallest birds in the world make hummingbirds really amazing to watch. These birds are small, averaging 3.5 inches from head to tail.
For feeding the humminbirds the best way is to place a nectar feeder high up on a tree branch to prevent it from other animals eating it away. A mixture of sugar and water is the best way to attract hummingbirds. This blend is the closest approximation to flower nectar available. When you prepare homemade nectar you should not use honey, molasses or any other artificial sweeteners.
A simple recipe for homemade nectar is 1 cup of sugar and 3 cups of water, bring to a boil melting the sugar, set aside to cool. When this mixture is cool you can fill your feeder. This is a 1 to 3 mix. You should not add food coloring to the mix.
Hummingbirds also eat small insects for protein, however, they rely heavily on flower and prepared nectar for their energy needs. You should be able to successfully attract hummingbirds to a backyard feeder with a proper combination of cleanliness, timing, and consistency.
A hummingbird feeder has to be clean and the nectar fresh or the bird will not feed from it and if it does, it may become sick. A hummingbird feeder needs to be brightly colored; red or orange are apparently the ideal hues for luring hummingbirds. You can also add red ribbons trailing off the feeder so it can be easily located by the hummingbirds in your area.
There are a couple of different types of hummingbird feeders. The dish type has a perch and allows a good view of the way a hummingbird feeds. The gravity fed bottle feeder has no perch so that eliminates the problem of other animals landing on it to feed. Hummingbird feeders come in many different styles and shapes from simple glass or plastic bottles and home made feeder plates to beautifully hand blown glass bulbs that enhance the charm of any backyard.
The best time to hang your hummingbird feeder is shortly before spring. If a hummingbird is drawn to the bird feeder during this time, it will likely return throughout the spring, summer, and well into fall.
Adding flowers and feeders to your garden will attract hummingbirds. Many plants that attract butterflies to your yard will also attract hummingbirds. You ought to be able to locate hummingbird feeders as well as this kind of plant in every gardening equipment store in your vicinity.