{"id":9175,"date":"2021-07-18T09:22:53","date_gmt":"2021-07-18T09:22:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/?p=9175"},"modified":"2021-07-21T07:00:36","modified_gmt":"2021-07-21T07:00:36","slug":"how-do-hummingbirds-feed-their-young","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/how-do-hummingbirds-feed-their-young\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do Hummingbirds Feed Their Young?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hummingbirds<\/a> feed on a huge amount of nectar each day to maintain the necessary energy levels, but their babies require a more protein-rich diet to help them grow and develop. So how do hummingbirds feed their young? What do the young hummingbirds eat, when are they born, and how fast do they grow? Keep reading! In this article, we\u2019re talking all about baby hummingbirds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Do Baby Hummingbirds Eat?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Baby hummingbirds are incapable of feeding themselves for the first few weeks of their life. What\u2019s more, they need a diet higher in protein and lower in sugar so they can grow and develop properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young hummingbirds eat a combination of nectar and small insects<\/strong> such as ants, mites, gnats, and mosquitoes. The mother bird feeds her babies by first eating the nectar and insects herself, then using her beak to funnel the regurgitated mixture down the babies\u2019 throats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only the mother hummingbird feeds and cares for her young. She also does all of the nest building and incubation duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adult hummingbirds require frequent feedings, and their offspring are no different. Hummingbirds feed their babies 2 to 3 times every hour for the first 3 or 4 weeks of life.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of these frequent feedings, as well as their need to stay in the nest and keep the babies warm, mother hummingbirds tend to build their nests within easy distance of food sources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They will pluck insects off branches, grab them in midair, and take a quick buzz over to the nearest flower or hummingbird feeder to get the nutrition they need for themselves and their young.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Do Hummingbirds Have Their Babies?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Cold weather can kill baby hummingbirds, and many species migrate to warmer climates during the winter. For these reasons, hummingbird babies are usually born during the late spring and summer.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In cooler regions, hummingbirds may only have one or two broods per year. They may have additional broods once they have migrated to their winter homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In regions where it is warm year round and the birds don\u2019t have to migrate, they can have babies at any time of the year.<\/strong> Hummingbirds in these areas may have several broods each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Time of Year Do Hummingbirds Lay Their Eggs?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the region or climate, hummingbirds most often lay eggs in May.<\/strong> Usually, by this time, the danger of a late frost is past and there are plenty of flowers and insects for food sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In warmer regions, hummingbirds may lay eggs from late winter through late fall.<\/strong> According to Hummingbird Bliss<\/a>, the Allen hummingbird of southern California will lay its eggs as early as February and as late as November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Do You Never See Baby Hummingbirds?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Obviously, hummingbirds are a lot smaller than the other birds you may have hanging around your neighborhood. You might assume you\u2019ve never seen a baby hummingbird simply because they are even smaller than the adults, but that\u2019s only one part of it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are actually several reasons why you don\u2019t see baby hummingbirds, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They Stay in the Nest Until Nearly Grown<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most baby hummingbirds stay at home until they are almost the same size as their mother.<\/strong> With that in mind, it\u2019s entirely possible you have seen a juvenile hummingbird, you just didn\u2019t recognize it as such.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since smaller hummingbird babies don\u2019t leave the nest, you would have to first find a nest in order to get a glimpse of the babies. Which brings us to our next point:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nest is Hard to Find<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hummingbird nests are only about an inch or two in diameter–roughly the size of a ping pong ball. These tiny little nests are usually built of twigs and mosses held together with spider silk, so they are made to blend into their surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mother hummingbirds intentionally build their nests in thick vegetation and hard-to-reach spots to help protect their babies.<\/strong> So if you don\u2019t know exactly where to find the nest, chances are you won\u2019t see it even if you go looking for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And even then, if you do happen to stumble across a hummingbird nest, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019re going to be chased away by an overprotective mother hummer! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Babies Grow Fast<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Baby hummingbirds reach maturity about 4 weeks after hatching.<\/strong> They are nearly the same size as their parents by three weeks of age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, they don\u2019t stay young for very long, so you don\u2019t have a very large window of opportunity to see the babies when they\u2019re young. Considering they are nearly mature before they even leave the nest for the first time, your chances of seeing a baby are even slimmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to see what hummingbird babies look like as they grow, check out the following video:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3na0Og7nOQo<\/a>