Ruby Throated Hummingbird = Crabby Little Bird!

I have hummingbird envy. I love ruby throated humming birds but they do not tolerate eachother very well. When I was visiting Oregon last year I was amazed at all of the hummingbirds that would be buzzing around the feeders together. I think they were Annas.

In my yard as soon as I get two one chases the other off. It is most unsavory behavior for a cute little bird.

They are not so much effete nector sippers as irrascable kamakazis.

It's hard to admit that something so cute can be so ornery, but mine are too. I don't have many, only had 3 last year, but this year I've only had 1! Finally tho, it brought a friend the other day and now I have 2. They have seemed to be pretty peaceful with each other tho. Maybe they are family.

I had the same experince with these little crabby guys. I had hummingbird feeders all around my screened porch in Tennessee. When I sat out there the males were constantly bickering and fighting. The flutter of so many little wings sounded like giant mosquito's in my ear. I had to get rid of the feeders.

I had a hummer expert tell me one time..."If hummingbirds were the size of crows, we'd all be dead!"

And where does all that noise come from! You wouldn't think a body that tiny could produce such a loud and angry sounding chirp! The hummers at my dad's house dive at his head when he fills the feeder-talk about biting the hand that feeds you!

OMG melody, I got a quick vision of a giant hummer plucking a cat from the fence the way they grab spiders from their webs.

Our year round Anna's are no better than the rubies. They are especially irracible during mating season.

This is the Chief Grumbler. The hoya he is sitting on is inside my patio about 5 feet from my sliding doors. He sits there and mumbles and grumbles and cusses all day long until the sun is low enough and then he moves to the plum tree. The hoya is midway between two feeders and it is a full time job guarding them both. We get to sit in the family room and laugh at his antics and those of a young juvenile that seems to derive a great deal of pleasure in making the King hummer crazy. Just like a teen, huh?

frogrus, that's a great picture. I can picture him grumbling all day.

The hummingbirds around my way are always warring with each other, fighting for control over the feeder and my yard in general. But, I figure it's because my neighborhood is far from being hummingbird friendly, mostly lawn and few flowers.

I love your picture too. He looks very cute all puffed up on your hoya.

I'll have to try to get a picture of one of mine! I never see them resting except way up high in my trees though. So high I can barely make them out - so I will have to try for an action shot.

You are certainly right about intolerant hummers. I have just one hummer in my yard. He sits on a branch and guards the feeder. He swoops down on any other hummer that comes near and chases them off.

In order to get more than one hummer, I am putting up some more feeders on the theory that he can't guard them all at once. In my yard his vantage point gives him a view of everything so I can't put the feeders out of his site.

I hope this works. I have seen 3 males (all at once) and one female and he has chased them all away.

This message was edited Aug 11, 2005 10:35 PM

mlm01, some friends and I ran an experiment and found that 3 feeders is the magic number. Do not really know why. My Grumbler guards his 2 feeders religiously but the third one is fair game. Maybe there is some unwritten hummer law at work.

The bacherlor's club in the front yard will not use a feeder. The plants and spiders give them ample groceries, I guess.

Thanks Frogsrus, My third one is going out right now. I'm gonna get a couple of more too--I've seen a hummer for the first time in my life and now I'm addicted :)

Last fall we had hummers around longer than normal so I keep the feeders out even though it was getting pretty cold at night. The energy it must take for migration must be alot. The hummers always burn so much energy chasing each other off and around. I put one feeder on one side of the house and another on the other side but a third one might break up the fighting some.

cuckoo

I can tell which is the resident and which are the interlopers by the way they drink. The boss man sits on the perch and sucks up his fill... the interlopers come in, sip, look, sip, look... and invariably get chased off by the boss.

I was thinking about moving one of my feeders to the other hook about 20 feet away even though that would mean I couldn't watch without my binoculars, but after reading this thread it would probably not make one lick of difference.

I can remember a state park visit in southwestern Missouri where the restaurant had humming bird feeders hanging all around the tops of the windows. I have never seen so many hummingbirds buzzing in and about the area! I like to put my lawn chair near the feeder on my front porch and watch them feed. I have a second feeder near our kitchen window now and I can see them much closer.

cuckoo

I have 4 feeders up now and I am wondering if the male hummers have boundaries in their little territories. I say this because I now have 2 hummers, one exclusively guards one feeder and the other guards 3. However, when they fly at each other they seem to stop at a certain point in the yard every time, and they don't go to each other's feeders. They both chase off a third male who is very persistent! I am going to put up at least 3 more feeders in various spots and see what happens.

Here's a crude mapy of the feeders, and what appears to be the hummer boundary line! (the red that says "Hummer #2's feeders is really for hummer #1, if anybody's interested!) ☺


This message was edited Aug 16, 2005 4:15 PM

mim01 Neat map of your feeders. Sounds like there is some territory squabbles going on there! I have'nt a clue about there pecking order!! They sure do chase each other around on my two feeders. I wander how some of them ever get to feed.

cuckoo

Thanks! I'm gonna put out a couple of more feeders today and see what drama ensues!

I put out a butterfly feeder yesterday and often the hummers feed there too. The sugar water is very weak but they like it . Saw a very pretty female ruby throat resting on my feeder this morning. My butterfly bushes are really teeming with hummers and butterflies now.

cuckoo

I love reading about everyone's experiences and tips with hummers. I need to pick up some more feeders at least by this weekend, August is their biggest showtime, circus and wrestling matches. We have gobs of hummer stories at our house.

One year I was going on and on about the Rubythroats. A neighbor told me, "I saw one of those little Rednecks you were talking about." Yeah he got it wrong but, stil it was right, Redneck used to mean rude and aggressive, not the Foxworthy kind it is now. It fit so well!!

Nancy

LOL...rednecks...that is too funny. I'll probably call them that now ☺

Today I will have a total of 10 feeders up (which reminds me I need more sugar!) I see why August is their showtime, I have a regular circus out there now in my small backyard. They even buzz past me sometimes when I'm near the feeders. I hope one day to get one to land on my hand like some others have.,

Here in northwestern Missouri we get ruby throats but now and then we get up to the the Henry Doorly Zoo( Omaha Zoo) and they have a good variety of different hummers you can see. They all are quite beautiful to see feeding and buzzing about.Hard to believe that little hummingbird body can migrate such great distances!!!

cuckoo

I just found this thread.... funny little birds, they definitely have a hawk's worth of attitude packed into that tiny body!

A couple of days ago, there was a hummingbird "dogfight" around the deck feeder, and one of the hummers dodged and ran straight into the screen door -- and stuck!!! Her bill went through the screen, and she hovered, looking like a cartoon hummingbird stuck in a dart board. OMG! My heart was in my throat, but by the time I'd grabbed a dish towel (which I thought might work to wrap gently around her while I got her unstuck) and made it the 7 steps to the back door, she had buzzed himself loose. She flew off and seemed none the worse for wear when I saw her drinking at the other feeder. That's an image that will stay with me for a while!

I have two feeders and my garden that I grow mostly for the hummers and butterflies. I have one hummer honcho that flies around like a helicopter guarding the whole area. There are two others that risk limb and feather to get a couple of sips now and then. Funny, the littlest one is the most aggressive.

Now I have a visual of the hummer in the screen... lol

Sorry.

I posted this in Photos.

How do they manage?

This little guy flashes his red neck -- and tells the other hummers to bug off. Nobody else gets to the nectar while he's on guard.

But he must make friends -- witness the new little hummers each year. I guess food is different.

I once had a book called "Territorial Imperative." I've just ordered another copy. I seem to remember the sublect being covered in it.

flyboy.. what an excellent photo!!!

nice pic, flyboy....

Luv your photo flyboy.

Thanks, guys.

Notice the mean look in his eyes. He lives on that branch -- well almost.

But don't you think he offends the lady hummers with his bravado?

Nice shot Brad! I haven't seen any posts from you lately. Sounds like you've been hanging out in the Photos forum. fyi, my passionvine is growing great this year and the ants on it have been eating my Gulf Frit eggs! I have 3 cats and 2 eggs inside the house now tho. I thought my son's 1st grade class might like to see them since they are a little scary looking. lol

atta girl Konkrete~

No, I'm still in NJ -- so I am out-of-it with the passiflora for awhile.

I was down there in July, and the GF's were flitting around. The passi's were pretty well bare. One actually looks to be dead. I'll report on them in October.

Be well.

This summer I've had more hummers than usual-right now I have 6 regulars and three feeders up. They still fight like crazy, but an interesting thing happened to my friends last year that made me think more about their territorial nature. These friends had at least 50 hummers feeding on two feeders. I drove 35 miles to see them, and it was well worth the drive. I have never seen so many little buzzing bodies in the air. Would you believe they were not fighting-male and female ruby throats were eating together-sometimes 5 to 10 on one big feeder. My husband and I figure that there must be a "magic" number of hummingbirds that causes the males to "give up" and just go with the flow. Who knows? I have had them eat out of my hands for several years now. I just hold a feeder and sit very still, and they will light on it with you holding it. I believe they'll probably do that for anyone as I don't know that I have any special hummer attracting powers. I do love the little rascals though-they make me smile everytime I see them. Linda

Linda, that's real interesting about holding a feeder. I may have to try that sometime. I sure get buzzed when I'm out by the feeders. I think Magpye does that or something similar to get her pics. Becky.

Now he looks even meaner.

I am not inclined to want one of these stuck in me. I always hope they know what they are doing. I don't recall ever having more than one hummingbird on the feeder at a time.

When the spring migrating birds are coming thru, especially during "fall out", there may be 6 at a feeder with 30-40 hummers in the yard. After the "rush" and most of the hummers move on, the half dozen or so that are left fight all day. I've got one hummer that tries to guard three feeders, two at the patio and one out in the middle of the garden. I don't see how he has time to eat!
In the fall when they are gorging themselves to head south they eat at the feeders and don't fight(we are at the edge of land, at the Gulf of Mexico and the Laguna Madre, so once they leave here, they can stop at the Island but most head south to South America) .

That is so interesting, Calalily. I have read your post before about the fall out. That is truly unbelievable. In the fall, I guess they know they have to gorge before they migrate, and they don't have time to fight.

LGW, they literally fall out of the sky. The local experts try to predict when they will start arriving so everyone has food for them. All kinds of birds show up, birds that are once in a lifetime sightings. The paper publishes a list of species sighted.
I agree that in the fall they are gorging themselves for their long flight, too busy pigging out to fight!

This may sound funny but I'm serious; has anyone ever been attacked or struck by a hummer?

I personally love it when my few buzz around my head. I have one that will hover within feet of my face and fuss at me :)

I love that these guys are so small, with such big attitudes! Nevertheless, I perfer not to be skewered and have the hummer hurt in the process.

Absolutely! The males have no sense of humour around mating season. (Dec and Jan here) Trying to fix my patio roof last winter (whick put the humans between the hummers and the patio feeders) was a call to war as far as the hummers were concerned. No hummers were harmed though the fur of the humans was ruffled and a head or two poked. We were definately where we did not belong, though we did have quite the view of hummer antics.

Do not worry about them. They are pretty tough little critters and mostly do not get too close to humans. The keeper of the patio seems very fond of DD and will let her within inches of him before buzzing off.

This message was edited Aug 31, 2005 4:31 PM