6 Ways to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Yard

Watching vibrantly plumed hummingbirds flit between flowers is one of life’s little pleasures. We are fortunate to be able to enjoy this throughout the year here, but you may see fewer as spring blossoms subside and food sources become scarcer in the summer heat.

If you would like to attract hummingbirds to your yard for the colorful and entertaining show, their assistance in naturally controlling the insect population, their prowess as pollinators, or just to help them out as they adjust to warming temperatures causing flowers to bloom earlier, you can take several simple steps to provide a welcoming habitat.

1. Add a hummingbird-friendly water source.
Other birds may love bird baths, but hummingbirds are quite particular about many things, and stagnant water is one of them. An inexpensive, solar-powered fountain pump can turn your bird bath into a hummingbird oasis.

2. Create rest areas for travel-weary hummingbirds.
Even traveling from one yard to the next could be exhausting if you flap your wings somewhere between 75 and 200 times per second. If your yard has trees and shrubs with lots of branches, a clothesline, or a trellis, you may already have enough perching opportunities available for visiting hummingbirds. If not, consider adding perches to provide resting spots in your yard.

3. Make sure there are nesting spots available.
Remember how we said that hummingbirds are particular and don’t like stagnant water? Well, they also don’t really like birdhouses. So, no matter how many birdhouses you hang around your yard, it will probably not increase your chances of hummingbirds choosing to nest there. The best way to provide nesting options for hummingbirds is to plant native trees and shrubs that provide sheltered, safe spots for nest building.

4. Do not clear spider webs off your fascia and eaves.
Spider webs provide access to protein and nest-building materials, so leaving them intact allows hummingbirds to use them for these purposes.

5. Let native flora and fauna reign.
According to Audubon, hummingbirds “consume half their body weight in bugs and nectar, feeding every 10-15 minutes and visiting 1,000-2,000 flowers per day.” (Audubon.org) Leaving spider webs intact is a start, but you can help hummingbirds even more by creating a habitat where beneficial insects, such as smaller pollinators, are also attracted to your yard.

One way to do this is to stop using pesticides to kill off bug populations. Another way is to plant native plants that attract beneficial insects to your yard. When selecting native plants, include options with bright, tubular flowers that produce a lot of nectar. Hummingbirds are particularly attracted to bright red, orange, and yellow blooms, so choosing plants that fit this description will attract both hummingbirds and the insects that hummingbirds like to eat.

6. Add a brightly colored hummingbird feeder to your yard.
Hummingbirds are attracted to bright colors and are most likely to use feeders that are easy to see when they are flying by, easy to access, and safely out of reach of cats, dogs, and other predators. Skip store-bought nectars and make your own sugar water by mixing one part sugar to four parts boiling water. Stir until the sugar dissolves, allow the mixture to cool, and then fill your feeder. Avoid adding red coloring, which might be harmful for the birds, and make sure you change out the sugar water at least twice per week and more often when it is especially hot out. You will also want to make sure that your feeder always has sugar water, since they will remember and will look elsewhere if this food source is regularly unavailable.

You might consider hanging more than one feeder in your yard, since one more thing hummingbirds are not fond of is sharing.

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AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, green living and travel writing. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.