Who doesn’t like hummingbirds? And according to the hummingbird migration map from hummingbirdcentral.com, they are just starting to enter Oklahoma on their way north. So, let’s talk a little bit about hummingbirds and what we can do to encourage them to visit our homes.

As the smallest of the North American native birds, hummingbirds only weigh about ¼ of an ounce and grow to about 3.5 inches in length. As you are probably aware, the buzzing sound we here when they are around is being generated by their wings. These small little wings beat around 55 strokes per second while they are in flight.

Oftentimes when we have more than one hummingbird present near our flowers or feeder, you might see them dive bombing each other. This is typical territorial behavior of the male hummingbirds, defending their space or trying to impress a nearby female. I bet if we humans could fly like that, we could be observed doing the same thing on more than one occasion.

When engaging in this behavior, the buzzing sound from their wings can get quite a bit louder with their wings beating up to 220 times per second. I don’t remember hearing this personally, but they can also emit a squeaking sound. These squeaking sounds may help the female hummingbirds find a male more attractive, but this would be where humans and hummingbirds part company… at least in my experience.

Breast muscles in these little birds make up about 25% of their bodies as compared to about 5% in humans. Heart rates for hummingbirds average about 600 times per minute. When buzzing around in an attempt to ward off competitors, this heart rate can rise to 1200 beats per minute. By comparison, human heart rates average between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Breathing rates once again are quite a bit faster than humans in that they take about 250 breaths per minute as compared to humans who breathe in about 12 times per minute. While most hummingbirds live about 3 to 4 years, they can live up to 14 years.

I mentioned that they were starting to enter Oklahoma, this was after traveling more than 2000 miles from Mexico and Costa Rico. For some hummingbirds, this includes a 500-mile journey over the Gulf of Mexico. This seems improbably for this tiny bird which makes it even more amazing.

To prepare for this migration, they have bulked up a bit by adding about half of their body weight in fat to provide them with energy for the journey. So, maybe if someone asks you if you have put on a little weight, just tell them you are preparing to fly across the Gulf of Mexico. That should put an end to the conversation.

Most of the time we see hummingbirds they might be hovering over our flowers or taking a sip from a hummingbird feeder. When observing this behavior, it would be easy to assume that they were sucking out nectar with a straw-like tongue, but in reality, they are drinking with a back-and-forth licking motion similar to a cat, but at a rate of about 13 licks per second.

This next little bit of information might come as a surprise, but they also eat insects that are captured when flying. This occurs more often when they are raising young hummingbirds.

As you can imagine, all that buzzing about takes a lot of energy, so they are always looking for food. On average, hummingbirds will feed about every 15 minutes. Because of that, one of the ways we can attract hummingbirds to our yards is to provide a source of food.

The first thing we probably think of when we think of providing a food source for hummingbirds is one of those hanging feeders. However, a more natural alternative source of nutrition can be provided by planting flowers in the garden that provide the nutrition they are looking for.

Rather than flowers with the petals, hummingbirds are looking for flowers that are more tubular like honeysuckle, trumpet vine, of salvia. With enough of these natural food sources in your yard, you won’t need to add a hummingbird feeder to your yard to attract hummingbirds.

Feeders using artificial nectar don’t provide the nutrients they will find in natural nectar from flowers. As an alternative to a permanent hummingbird feeder, it’s not a bad idea to use the artificial feeder early and late in the season when flowers are scarce, but then as the natural sources begin to kick in, maybe pack the feeder away.

If you do want to use an artificial feeder, stay away from the red dyes. Red dyes in the artificial nectar can cause potential health problems in hummingbirds. Instead, you can make artificial nectar by dissolving one-part granulated sugar in four-parts of boiling water, leaving out the red food coloring.

To minimize the potential of harm to hummingbirds, feeders should be cleaned every two or three days. When trying to decide where to place your feeder, look for a shady location, away from neighborhood cats.

Due to their competitive nature, it’s good to provide more than one feeder since they can get pretty aggressive when they feel other hummingbirds are infringing on their territory.

Last but not least, it’s also a good idea to provide some sort of water feature for hummingbirds to use for bathing and drinking. Just remember to wash it out every few days. Follow these steps and you’ll likely have quite a display from the hummingbirds in your landscape. See you in the garden!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Diagnostic Center at 918-746-3701, dropping by the Extension office at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo: OSU Ag. Comm.