Hummingbirds have some of the highest metabolisms in the animal kingdom.
Their tiny bodies have very high energy demands, requiring them to consume up to twice their body weight in nectar each day just to survive.
With such small size but such extreme energy needs, hummingbirds cannot rely on a single food source and must consume a varied diet to obtain enough nutrition.
Their primary food is sugary flower nectar, which provides carbohydrates for energy.
But they also feast on insects and spiders for essential protein, amino acids, and fat.
Additional diet components like tree sap, pollen, fruits, and even minerals supplement the nutrition hummingbirds require to power their beating wings that flap up to 80 times per second.
Access to an abundant and diverse food supply is critical to fueling these energetic powerhouses of the bird world.
Hummingbirds do eat more than just sugar water, but sugary nectar is their main food source.
While they get most of their nutrition from nectar, hummingbirds also need protein and other nutrients to survive.
Here is an overview of the hummingbird diet and what they eat besides sugar water.
Nectar
Nectar is the primary food for hummingbirds.
Hummingbirds have slender bills and tongues specially adapted to reach into flowers and drink nectar.
Some native plants that hummingbirds favor for their sweet nectar include trumpet creeper, cardinal flower, bee balm, and various columbines, fuchsias, and wildflowers.
The concentration of sugars like sucrose, glucose, and fructose in nectar can vary by flower type and species. Hummingbirds exhibit a clear preference for flowers producing sweeter, more energy-dense nectar.
They remember flower locations and will aggressively defend prime nectar sources. When dominant males monopolize choice flowers, subordinate males and females get excluded from the best nectar supplies.
Since competition is fierce, hummingbirds must constantly seek out new blooms to avoid going into an energy deficit.
They will investigate anything brightly colored and tubular in shape in their endless quest for more nectar.
As they feed on flower after flower, hummingbirds serve as important pollinators.
Moving pollen between plants is vital for flower reproduction and maintaining diverse and abundant nectar sources.
They have specially adapted long, slender beaks and tongues that allow them to retrieve the nectar out of flowers.
Hummingbirds can lick up to 13 times per second as they feed on nectar. The sugary nectar gives hummingbirds an immediate energy boost.
Different types of flowers produce varying amounts of nectar, so hummingbirds are always on the hunt for the most nutrient-dense blooms.
Nectar accounts for up to 90% of the diet for some hummingbird species. Without a consistent nectar source in their habitat, hummingbirds would not survive.
Insects and Spiders
While nectar provides the carbohydrate fuel that keeps their wings rapidly beating, hummingbirds need protein from insects and spiders to build muscle and supply necessary amino acids.
They have keen vision that allows them to meticulously hunt down tiny insects like mosquitoes, gnats, fruit flies, aphids, and thrips.
Hummingbirds use their slender, pointed bill to swiftly snatch crawling insects like ants, beetles, caterpillars, and spiders off leaves, branches, and bark.
In addition to capturing stationary insects, hummingbirds exhibit impressive aerial acrobatics to prey on flying insects like moths, flying ants, wasps, and bees.
Males tend to get most of their insect protein through this skillful hunting. But female hummingbirds, with their higher nutritional demands, more often scavenge dead insects to ensure adequate protein intake for breeding.
Females may also pluck extra spider silk and webbing to incorporate into their nests.
For growing chicks, nothing beats a meal of soft-bodied spiders and caterpillars supplied by their attentive mothers.
The protein gained from eating insects supplies hummingbirds with nutrients not found in nectar.
Insects can provide hummingbirds with essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and fat. Eating bugs allows hummingbirds to replenish their energy when flower nectar is in short supply.
Baby hummingbirds rely more heavily on insects because they need extra protein to grow and develop.
Adult hummingbirds also up their insect intake during the breeding season to obtain more protein for the high energy demands of reproduction.
Tree Sap
In addition to nectar and insects, hummingbirds will supplement their diet with tree sap or other plant saps.
Certain species like the rufous hummingbird are especially drawn to the sap from trees such as birches, maples, and cottonwoods.
In early spring when flowers are just beginning to bloom, hummingbirds rely heavily on tree sap for nourishment.
They tap into sap wells excavated by sapsucker woodpeckers or lick sweet sap dripping down splits in tree bark.
Soft deciduous trees like birches, maples, willows, and cottonwoods produce sugary sap that hummingbirds eagerly lap up.
They extend their tongue into sap flows, grooves, or shallow holes to harness this vital early-season energy source.
The high-sugar sap from certain trees can also be fermented by yeasts, making it even more desirable to hummingbirds.
Sap from old growth trees and sap that seeps into bark cracks and holes tends to be highest in sugar concentration, motivating hummingbirds to seek out these specific sources.
Not only does sap provide an immediate carbohydrate boost, but it also contains essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium that hummingbirds need for proper immune function and electrolyte balance.
Saps offer hummingbirds an excellent source of carbohydrates and sugars.
This sweet treat provides quick energy. Hummingbirds seem to be especially fond of fermented tree sap as they can detect higher sugar content.
By lapping up sap from natural wells in tree bark or from sap wells created by sapsuckers, a type of woodpecker, hummingbirds obtain nutrients that may not be available in nectar or insects.
The sugar hit from sap helps hummingbirds save energy and maintain their record high metabolisms.
Fruit
Though smaller amounts are consumed compared to nectar, hummingbirds will sometimes supplement their diet with fruit for essential nutrients. Hummingbirds appear capable of sensing sugar levels and actively seek out ripe fruits with higher sugar concentrations.
Fruits that hummingbirds feed on include berries, currants, bananas, and grapes.
Some hummingbirds also visit citrus trees for an occasional snack on the juice inside oranges, lemons, or limes. The fruit sugars provide quick energy while vitamins and antioxidants support immune function.
Pollen and Flower Parts
In addition to slurping down nectar, hummingbirds will eat bits of pollen, petals, and other flower parts as they forage. The protein in pollen provides amino acids and the flower parts offer trace nutrients.
Hummingbirds act as important pollinators as they pass from flower to flower in search of food. In the process of feeding, pollen collects on their heads and bills.
This pollen dusts off onto the next flowers they visit, enabling cross-pollination and plant reproduction.
Minerals and Salt
To meet their mineral needs, hummingbirds will occasionally supplement their diet by licking sand, soil, or rocks to obtain salts and minerals like calcium and magnesium that are not found in nectar.
They may also drink water from leaves, pools, or bird baths, especially on hot days when they are at risk of dehydration.
Sugar Water Feeders
Many people put out feeders with homemade sugar water (sucrose) solutions to attract hummingbirds.
This supplemental feeding can be crucial when flower availability is low and give people a chance to admire hummingbirds up close.
Feeders should be cleaned frequently to reduce mold, and the sugar-water ratio of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water is ideal.
Avoid adding food coloring, which provides no benefit. While feeders should not be a hummingbird’s only food source, they do provide easily obtained nutrition.
With access to plenty of flower nectar and insects, hummingbirds can obtain a balanced diet.
But sugar water feeders help provide extra carbohydrates and fill nutritional gaps.
The sugar boost gives hummingbirds energy so they can focus their foraging on other foods like protein-packed insects.