A golden-green hummingbird with his gray and white underbelly perches on the branch of a spruce tree, turning his tiny head this way and that. His iridescent throat flashes red in the sunlight, enticing his mate-to-be. For us non-feathered types, it’s a little trickier to attract hummingbirds. But it’s not impossible. The key to creating your own hummingbird-friendly habitat begins with getting to know them better.

The ruby-throated hummingbird (which gets its name from the male’s markings; females don’t have a red throat) is the only breeding species known to frequent the woods and meadows of eastern North America. These small birds — with their long and slightly down-turned beaks — weigh between 3 and 4 ounces (less than a nickel) and fly thousands of miles each spring. They beat their short wings more than 50 times a second all the way from Central America in a quest to find a summer home and mate, and to raise their young before returning in September to their tropical habitats. The birds can migrate all the way to the boreal forests in parts of northern Maine and Canada, but many spend their summer right here in the Merrimack Valley. Where they decide to stay is determined by food sources and, possibly, familiar surroundings.

Dave Larson, education coordinator at Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport, says ruby-throated hummingbirds typically arrive in the Valley in May and mate in June. Their offspring — usually one or two — are born from eggs almost the size of a Tic Tac, and nurtured in a nest made from collected lichen. According to Larson, the nest could fit inside the cup of a standard egg carton. The female and male hummingbirds feed their young with insects collected from the bark of trees. “The young birds need protein to grow up to be big, strong, tiny little birds,” Larson says. 

The new arrivals are typically flying and scavenging on their own by July, and the likelihood of catching a glimpse of one of these humming, hovering marvels increases tenfold.

If you live near a wooded area, Larson says, particularly one with a modest water source such as a vernal pool, your environment might naturally attract hummingbirds. Deciduous and coniferous trees are where they find small insects. The birds also are known to enjoy tree sap. Though they make their nests in these trees, hummingbirds are also comfortable around human habitats and sometimes will nest on man-made structures. Still, a standing water source or damp area is useful because this is where the birds will find the lichen used to build their nests. “If you see one peeling lichen from a tree, follow it and you will find its habitat,” Larson says. 

In addition to nature’s provisions, sugar-water feeders can help attract hummingbirds to your yard. These feeders come in many sizes and styles. Tall, clear cylinders with feeding holes at the base, and fat saucers with well-spaced holes both meet the needs of a hummingbird when he or she wants to “grab some quick energy,” Larson says. In other words, he says, “They don’t need it,” but an easy food supply does make a habitat more appealing. These feeders can be found at Joppa Flats, online and at most hardware stores.

The sugar-water mixture should be one part sugar to four parts water. Do not use honey; according to Larson, it’s not healthy for the birds. Larson recommends boiling the mixture for one to two minutes to fully dissolve the sugar and to ward off bacteria and fungus that can harm the birds. The sugar water should be replaced every few days, depending on the outdoor temperature. Though some people might color the water red, a color the birds like, it’s not necessary. Most feeders have colored parts that achieve the same goal.

“Be sure to put your feeder up early,” Larson says. “You want to catch their attention when they first start migrating through the area.” Once a hummingbird finds a habitat it likes, he or she often will return to the same spot the following season. On average, hummingbirds have a life span of three to four years.

Another simple way to attract hummingbirds is to plant appropriate flowers in your yard. Hummingbirds are attracted to red and orange tubular flowers that yield sweet nectar. According to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, candidates include the trumpet creeper, cardinal flower, honeysuckle, jewelweed, bee balm, red buckeye and red morning glory. A garden of native flowers that’s in constant bloom throughout the summer, Larson says, provides an ideal sustained food source for hummingbirds.

With a bird-friendly habitat and some luck, your yard might just be humming this summer.      

JoppaFlats Education Center
Newburyport, Mass.
(978) 462-9998
MassAudubon.org/Get-Outdoors/WildlifeSanctuaries/Joppa-Flats