Hummingbird feeders make a great addition to your backyard here in Parker County. It doesn’t take long until you will see some of the tiny birds visiting your feeder.
Hummingbirds got their name because of the humming sound created by their wings. They can hover in one spot due to their rapid wings, which vary in speed from around 12 beats per second in the largest species, to more than 80 per second in some of the smallest species.
A hummingbirds’ heart rate can reach as high as 1,260 beats per minute.
Because of amazing amount of activity from their rapid wings and high heart rate, hummingbirds drink nectar, a sweet liquid inside some flowers, to supply their energy needs. Hummingbirds normally only eat nectar from flowers that produce nectar that is more than 10 percent sugar. Nectar is a mixture of glucose, fructose, and sucrose, and not a very good source of nutrients.
Hummingbirds get their nutrients from eating insects, including mosquitoes, fruit flies, gnats and spiders. Hummingbirds will hover in a swarm of insects to help them catch their prey.
Hummingbirds have a long tongue. Look at the photo of the hummingbird above, which was taken in Parker County and you will be able to see the bird’s tongue stocking out past its long bill. They use their long tongue to lick their food at a rate of up to 13 licks per second.
Once we put out our hummingbird feeder, it took 4-5 weeks before we saw any hummingbirds. Once they find it, they’ll be back. The birds need to eat at least half their weight in nectar each day, because of their high metabolism.
Any feeder can attract hummingbirds, who are always on the lookout for a source of nectar since they need to each so much every day.
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