About Hummingbird Feeders

What types of feeders are available and which is best?

You can find a vast array of feeders in bird stores, garden centers, discount stores, etc. There are three basic types, the gravity-feed tube/bottle with ports at the bottom, the saucer with ports on top, and the hybrid with a bottle attached to a saucer. Of course, there are numerous variations of these designs, so look around and choose the one you like A big concern is dripping from feeders which creates a sticky mess on the ground and attracts ants. The type to use is up to you.

Here at the Rancho we use different types in different areas. All are hung from ant cups to prevent the ants from taking over the feeders. Our experience is that the saucer type feeders are the easiest to use. They are easy to fill and to clean, plus they do not drip, even in high winds. They come in various sizes ranging from 3 to 8 ports so you can see more birds at once.

1.  Our windows have iron security bars so we use the basic "starter" tube type (which is a straight plastic tube with a feeder port and bee guard at the bottom) because they fit between the security bars and bring the birds closer to us. In the beginning we also used the small glass bottle with a glass tube and bee guard at the bottom. You probably have seen the popular bottle-type with big plastic flowers at the bottom with the tubes pointing up. We found that no matter how fancy the design of this type, they will drip and that attracts ants and bees. You must use ant cups with these.

2.  We use the saucer type in more open areas like the porch and patio. These do not drip because the nectar sits in a "bowl" and the feeder ports are on top. The only problem these have is that small gnats or bugs tend to crawl in and drown, necessitating nectar replacement. These usually do not have a bee problem because the ports are too deep for the bees to reach the nectar.

3.   There is another type which is a hybrid of these two types. It consists of a glass bottle with a saucer-type bottom whose feeder ports are on a flat or slanted top side. (This is also called a vacuum-type.) They often have a perching bar at each port or a ring around the rim. This type does not drip, except maybe when swung about by a high wind. These will attract gnats also so watch the nectar for cloudiness or floating bugs, signs it is time to change it.
   

FEEDER MANUFACTURERS:

Aspects

Droll Yankees

Perky-Pet

Wild Birds Unlimited

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Black-chinned male at a tube feeder.

Saucer type feeder
(3 stations)

Bottle-saucer hybrid type feeder
(6 stations)

Black-chinned at glass bottle feeder, sitting on my finger.

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