Getting a good look at hummingbirds isn’t easy – unless you can attract them and convince them to stick around for a while.
One of the best ways to do this is with a feeder made especially for them.
According to The Hummingbird Society, hummers are not seed eaters like other birds. Instead, they consume the nectar of flowers, an array of small insects, and spiders.
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Their flight behavior is also unusual, in that they can hover with a rotational movement, rather like a helicopter. This motion uses a great deal of energy, and requires a daily food consumption between one hundred and two hundred percent of their body weight.
Welcome Feathered Friends
You can attract birds to your yard with flowers and nesting places, refreshing and decorative birdbaths, and feeders full of the foods they crave.
Hummers are drawn to brightly-colored tubular flowers like trumpet vine, bee balm, and fuchsia. They make tiny nests in the branches of trees and woody shrubs, and make good use of a very shallow birdbath, or a dripping or misting water source.
They’ll return each year to an environment that suits them. So why not add one or more feeders to your outdoor living space?
The following styles have everything you need.
The Best Hummingbird Feeders: 5 Exceptional Models
Say “Welcome” with one or more of the following outstanding products. Each was designed with the needs and habits of these fascinating birds in mind.
1. Oasis by Woodstream Hummingbird
This shatterproof plastic unit has a brass hanging rod for branch or pole mounting. The top is red and the basin reservoir is clear. Its dimensions are 10 x 10.14 x 2.31 inches and it weighs one pound.
The reservoir is easy to fill and clean, and holds 16 ounces of nectar. This product’s circular shape allows for full perimeter perching around its six sculpted yellow feeding stations.
With a drip-free ant moat and bee guard, this is a model designed for maximum dining comfort. Made in the USA. A thirty-day warranty is included.
Key Features:
- Hanging style, rod included
- 16-ounce basin reservoir
- Shatterproof plastic
- Red top, clear basin
- 6 feeding stations in contrasting yellow
- Easy fill
- Drip-free
- Squirrel-proof
- Ant moat
- Bee guards
- Made in USA
- 30-day warranty
This model is available from Wayfair.
2. Hummzinger Ultra by Aspects Inc.
This is a polycarbonate plastic product that may be suspended from a branch or pole by its metal rod. Its dimensions are 2.25 x 7.87 x 8.37 inches and it weighs one pound.
Aspects 367 Hummzinger Ultra Hummingbird Feeder
The clear basin reservoir holds 12 fluid ounces. It has a red plastic lid that may be removed easily for filling and cleaning, and it closes securely for drip and leak prevention.
This model has an ant moat, and patented nectar guard tips that deter bees. Raised flowers are angled to direct rain away from its four feeding ports.
This product is made in the USA and comes with a lifetime warranty.
Key Features:
- Hanging style, rod included
- 12-ounce basin reservoir
- Polycarbonate plastic
- Red top, clear basin
- 4 feeding stations
- Easy fill
- Drip- and leakproof
- Ant moat
- Bee guards
- Made in USA
- Lifetime guarantee
This product may be purchased from Amazon.
Replacement nectar guard tips for this product are also available via Amazon.
3. Bee and Wasp Proof Copper Feeder
Made to last, this unique hanging model is handmade from solid copper, and twists to form its own hook. A red plastic insert holds nectar, and two are included. Its dimensions are 8.8 x 4.6 x 2.2 inches and it weighs just 6.4 ounces.
Bee and Wasp Proof Copper Hummingbird Feeder
There is a single perch feeding station that permits one bird to eat at a time. The nectar insert holds one ounce of liquid, which feeds one to three birds for two days.
The small family business (We Love Hummingbirds) that produces this model guarantees that it is bee- and wasp-proof, and backs it up with a “100% Total & Complete Satisfaction, No Questions Asked, Money Back Guarantee.” Made in the USA.
Key Features:
- Hanging style, built-in rod
- 1 feeding station
- One-ounce container (2 included)
- Copper
- Copper twist hanger, red nectar insert
- Bee-proof
- Made in USA
- Lifetime guarantee
This product may be purchased through Amazon.
4. Homestead Etched Hardened Glass
This is a hanging model that is made of hardened clear glass and red plastic. Its vertical reservoir holds 12 ounces of fluid, and is etched with a decorative bird and flower design. Its dimensions are 6.2 x 6.2 x 10.2 inches and it weighs 12.8 ounces.
Homestead 12 oz Hummingbird Feeder (Etched Hardened Glass)
The two-part base comes apart for easy filling and cleaning, and seals tightly to prevent drips and leakage. A full circumference perch and 4 raised yellow flower feeding ports make this an attractive dining spot. Ant and bee guards deter insects.
This unit accommodates a hook for suspension from a branch or pole. Hook not included. Made in the USA.
Key Features:
- Hanging style
- 4 feeding stations
- 12-ounce reservoir
- Hardened glass and plastic
- Etched clear glass reservoir, red top and base
- Easy fill
- Drip- and leakproof
- Bee guards
- Ant moat
- Made in USA
This product is available for purchase via Walmart.
5. Droll Yankees Window Mount
This is a window-mount dish-style unit that is made of UV-stabilized polycarbonate plastic for durability and weather resistance. Two suction cups are included. Its dimensions are 5.9 x 5.9 x 3 inches and it weighs 3.2 ounces.
Droll Yankees Window Hummer 3 Hummingbird Feeder
There is a red cap with a recipe for nectar etched into its surface. Two feeding ports each contains 6 ounces of liquid. Nectar guard tips prevent insect penetration.
Easy to fill, simply line up the small holes in the clear and red top pieces, and pour in nectar. Unscrew both top pieces for easy cleaning of the basin and tops. Use the included brush to gently clean the ports and nectar guards.
This model has a lifetime guarantee and is made in the USA.
Key Features:
- Window mount style, suction cups included
- 2 feeding stations
- 12-ounce capacity
- UV-stabilized polycarbonate plastic
- Clear and red top pieces, clear basin
- Quick-fill hole alignment
- Nectar guards
- Port brush included
- Made in USA
- Lifetime guarantee
This product is available from Walmart.
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?
A hummingbird feeder affords a great opportunity to watch birds at close range.
I remember the first one I ever saw. I thought it was a huge bug – grayish, with wings whirring audibly. Suddenly, the sun flashed off its ruby throat, and it sparkled like gemstones.
The Hummingbird Society recommends placing feeders beyond the reach of animals and children, at a height of at least four feet.
While commercially prepared nectars are available, often in concentrated form, you may make your own with 1 cup of sugar and 3 to 4 cups of spring water. Adding red food coloring and purchasing dyed nectar is discouraged, as the impact on bird health is unknown.
Please note: Prevent injury and damage! Never add hot liquid to a feeder.
The Society also recommends cleaning feeders with a mild detergent between fillings, and soaking them in a bleach solution (1 tablespoon bleach to 1 quart water) once a month.
Attracting wild birds to your yard is a fun, inexpensive, and educational hobby for the whole family. Why not place a few feeders around your property and see who comes to dinner?
And if you loved this guide, be sure to check out our recommendations for standard bird feeders too!
Photo credit: Shutterstock and var. product manufacturers.
I can’t find replacement flower s to fit my feeder! The # on the bottom of the well is 35-1031W any idea where I can find them?
The Audubon society highly suggests washing every 2-3 days, as bacteria is on birds beaks. Not doing so dooms birds to painful death.
Thanks for your note, Michelle! In cool weather, cleaning once a week is usually enough to prevent the buildup of potentially harmful bacteria. Cleaning feeders twice a week is the standard advice during hot weather and in warm climates. And note that using dish soap is not recommended, as this can be harmful to the birds as well.
Hi,
I’m not having any luck finding a hummingbird feeder without a perch. Similar to the first feeder in this article.
I would very much like to know if someone can help me find one.
Thank you
Marty
Hi Marty,
Apologies for the delayed response. Wayfair carries a lantern-style hummingbird feeder without a perch, you can find it here. They are a bit more difficult to track down than ones with a perch! Hope this helps.