Hummingbirds Prepare to Head South

First posted on 08-15-2008

LIBERTY, MO – They may be the world’s smallest birds, but beginning this month, millions of hummingbirds will be making a big trip to Mexico and Central Mexico. This annual journey is part of an instinctive migration pattern that has been going on for hundreds of years.

“This is a great opportunity for people to see large numbers of hummingbirds as they make their way south,” said John Brennan, owner of the Liberty Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop. “Then they’ll be gone until spring.”

Bird enthusiasts expect to see waves of hummingbirds visiting their feeders during this time. At the peak of migration, bird banding studies indicate that, with very few exceptions, the hummingbirds visiting those feeders on any given late summer day are completely replaced by new migrants within 24 hours.

Hummingbirds feed on flower nectar, insects and sugar-water solution placed in specially designed feeders. Despite popular belief, hummingbirds do not suck up nectar with their bills. They actually lap it up with their tongues, drawing nectar from its source up and into their mouths almost 12 times a second.

A high-calorie diet is important to sustain these very active birds and to build fat reserve for their migratory trip. They possess the fastest metabolism of any animal on the planet, burning through between one to three times their body weight in food every day.

“The color red is a visual cue that lets hummingbirds know food is available,” explained Brennan. “But people should never add red food coloring to nectar. They should instead put the clear nectar in a red-colored feeder to attract these amazing birds.”