It's not difficult to attract hummingbirds to your backyard, the hardest part is the dedication it takes to achieve this goal.
Hummingbirds are captivated by places with a great diversity of colors, so the first tip on how to bring these lovely birds to your garden would be to plant as many colourful flowers as possible, simple, right? The more colorful the environment, the more hummingbirds will appear.
But of course not just any flowers, the most sought after by these tiny birds are those that have elongated shapes to accommodate the different types of beaks. Choose plants that are native to your region, this will help the birds become familiar with the environment and so ensure that they will come back.
It is also important to choose plants that have a long flowering time or that tend to flower more quickly. Look for species with a good amount of nectar, something that makes a difference in their diet, as hummingbirds get most of their energy from sugar in the nectar.
To give you an idea, these little birds do not grow more than 20 centimeters, but they travel at 80 kilometers per hour to reach a considerable number of flowers. They need to visit an average of 2,000 of them daily to achieve the main objective: to survive, and to do this, they spend practically all the energy they consumed during the day.
Tiny wings that beat 15–20 times per second and its heart which beats 1200 times a minute alone are responsible for more than half of this exhaustion. A Hummingbird's heart reduces to 600 beats per minute when the bird is stationary or sleeping. In other words, you could see that the more food he finds in your garden, the better!
The best flowers to plant
Plants such as sage, lantana, pentas and columbine are great choices.
Salvia comes in different types of colors and sizes and adapts easily to different gardens, in addition to being kept in the sun, it is pruned a few times and has some flowers all year round.
The lantana is able to change color during the passing of days, making the environment even more attractive for hummingbirds. Another good feature is that, like sage, this plant blooms all year round, is very easy to care for and is resistant to drought.
Pentas is another flower that birds love. Its petals are star-shaped and have long stems, an ideal depth to support the long beaks of hummingbirds. They can't stand too much cold, so it's good to plant them during spring-summer.
Last but not least, columbine originates from Europe and Asia. This flower should not be completely exposed to the sun, however, it needs it to replenish its nutrients. Keep it in a place that has shade for most of the day.
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Be sure to put out hummingbird feeders!
If you want to motivate the little hummingbirds even more or if you don’t have a flower garden, distributing many hummingbird feeders in your garden or patio will attract them for sure, because birds will return to the place where they find more food, and that environment has to be your garden.
To buy this hummingbird feeder, just click on the photo or this link >> Isfriday
Hummingbird feeders cannot be filled and abandoned. For the birds to remain healthy, it is essential that the nectar be changed and bird feeder to be washed after every 2 days, as the sugar contained in the nectar tends to ferment quickly and growth of fungi will increase which is harmful for these beautiful birds.
Therefore, the hummingbird feeders need to be placed that doesn’t have much wind, in a shade or a place that doesn't get too much sun.
Another tip that attracts more hummingbirds is garden fountains, even the small ones will do the job fantastically. Create an environment where the hummingbirds can not only drink, but also to relax and bathe, and hummingbirds love to bathe. This is a sure way to give a wonderful spot for the birds to rest and cool off in the heat.
Sugar water is not the only food for hummingbirds
More than sugary drinks from flowers and bird feeders, birds need protein in their diet and insects are part of this diet. The more insects flying around near the hummingbird feeders and on the garden fountain, the more complete the visits of the hummingbirds are, and more will return.
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Preparing the nectar for hummingbirds.
Preparing the nectar is simple, add 1/4 cup of sugar into 1 cup of boiling water, mix and then let it cool down and that's it!
Amazing, right?
How to clean your hummingbird feeders.
Wash them with soap and water;
Then leave for a while in clean water;
Rinse well before adding the nectar again;
An interesting option is to clean the feeder with a toothbrush or a bottle cleaning brush;
All holes in the drinking fountains must be cleaned very carefully to avoid fungi growth.
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