Whether it is that you own hummingbirds as pets or you just want to attract them at your front porch and help their tiny population, getting a good and high-quality feeder is a must. Hummingbirds are certainly one of the cuter and smaller species of birds, but don’t let the size fool you, they require a lot of energy.
They require so much food that it is completely normal for them to get as much nectar as possible every 15 minutes. From this, we can conclude that we need the best hummingbird feeder if we want to attract them to our porch.
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What Is A Hummingbird Feeder And Why Do You Need It?
Before outright buying the best one on the market, it is important to understand which parts of a feeder make it useful and how to clean one when you get it.
These questions will be answered thoroughly in the following sections, followed by some quick tips.
Which Hummingbird Feeder Should You Choose?
There are many different types and models when it comes to hummingbird feeders. Finding the right one may get time-consuming, but it will be worth it nevertheless.
Your main concern when buying a feeder is to focus on how easy it is to clean it. You will refill the feeder and clean it for multiple times afterward, once every two or five days. This may not seem to occur frequently, but getting a bad feeder will increase that.
A major aspect that contributes to how often you should clean the feeder is the weather. If the temperatures are high you will have to clean the feeder more frequently as the nectar inside it might get spoil.
But are the feeders categorized in any way? Are there any types of feeders that you should differentiate? Here are some of the most common types:
- Inverted feeder
- Basin-designed feeder
The inverted feeder is popular because it has a vertical bottle that holds the nectar and a horizontal basin that is filled with feeding portals. This design is efficient because it has a higher nectar capacity.
A basin designed feeder will run horizontally in a disc-shaped way. This type is easier to clean due to having fewer parts. Some are even perfectly fine for your dishwasher.
Top 5 Hummingbird Feeders: What We Recommend
In the following section, we will show you some of the most popular hummingbird feeders on the market. There will also be a part included for each product which will describe the features even further.
1. First Nature 3090 32-ounce
Via: Amazon.com
This hummingbird feeder from First Nature provides you an excellent design with a red color scheme which is known to attract more hummingbirds. Some parts of the design such as the capacity and openings for the nectar were interesting.
This feeder offers a capacity of up to 32oz for the nectar. The openings are very large which allows everyone to clean it at an easier way as well as filling it.
Another great thing is the moat-shaped part which did a pretty good job at keeping any other insects away from the nectar that attracts them. This feature can positively affect the cleaning process
The areas filled with nectar are made in a flower-like design which can provide these birds a more natural environment. This can also provide a greater level of comfort for the hummingbirds.
Features:
The features of this feeder focus entirely on the hummingbirds themselves, as opposed to other products which present a design focused more on the general attractiveness of the feeder.
This model provides the best of both worlds, providing you both the practicability that your birds need as well as a gorgeous design which attracts both you and birds as well.
Smart and attractive design:
Apart from the beautiful design of the feeder, it is also designed in a way to help you with various problems and make some parts like cleaning easier as well. For an example, the red color scheme makes the feeder more attractive to the hummingbirds, gathering more of them.
Another thing to note is the size of the feeding ports which are entirely flower shaped, as well as the moat surrounding them that is made to fight off ants.
- Dimensions: 7 x 7 x 8.5 inches
- Weight: 1 ounces
- Material: Made out of plastic
Pros
- Attractive red design
- Moat keeps ants off and helps you with cleaning.
- Sealing technique prevents any leaks
Cons
- Construction material doesn’t support high temperatures.
- Can’t be cleaned in a dishwasher.
2. Aspects 407 Jewel Box Window Hummingbird Feeder
Via: Amazon.com
We see that Aspects has made a unique platter-like design which may be more effective when it comes to hummingbirds. The unique design made it one of the best window feeders. With this feeder, you also have some options such as adding a module which prevents ants from entering and eating the nectar.
We do have to note that even though the size of this feeder is way smaller compared to others, it is still a little more expensive. There are only three openings for nectar and the size of it as well as weight is quite small.
Features:
In terms of features, this feeder did not get that far ahead when compared to other models, but it still did introduce a smaller form factor which could be appealing for you.
It also offers some modular systems when it comes to ants and insects, as the user can remove the ant protection in the area surrounding the feeding ports.
And with the same repeating pattern, we see that this feeder offers a red color design as well, which helps attract new hummingbirds or helps the ones already present.
- Dimensions: 2.2 x 8.5 x 6 inches
- Weight: 3 pounds
- Material: polycarbonate
Pros
- Small form factor
- Removable prevention for ants.
- Polycarbonate material won’t allow it to deform at high heats.
Cons
- Small number of feeding ports.
3. Best-1 32 oz. Hummingbird Feeder
Via: Amazon.com
Birds Choice offers a vertical bottle design in a similar red color scheme. The capacity has improved when compared to other models but not by much. Now you can put up to 32 oz of nectar in the reservoir.
Some interesting aspects to point out in the design is that the reservoir is transparent, making it easier for you to know when exactly you should clean it or refill it. The base can also be removed which makes the cleaning process a lot easier.
The feeding ports in this feeder don’t have any special design that can be seen in previous feeders, they are simply just openings for the nectar. A part of the reservoir has a red design on it that attracts more hummingbirds towards it.
The construction is made out of plastic which isn’t really a sign of quality as it is more prone to breaking and deforming due to heat.
Features:
This feeder may lack in the number of features it has and it does not have any aspects similar to the previous models. But there are still some parts of it that are unique and not present in other products.
Design aimed at providing more:
We see that the design of this feeder is aimed towards people who either already have a lot of hummingbirds or people who want to attract more of them.But with a 32oz nectar capacity and 8 feeding ports, you can entirely sustain more hummingbirds than usual.
- Dimensions: 6 x 6 x 9 inches
- Weight: 1.4 pounds
- Material: Made out of plastic
Pros
- More capacity for food
- Up to 8 feeding ports
- Base is easier to clean
Cons
- Plastic design; melts over time
- Priced higher compared to other models.
4. Perky Pet 209B
Via: Amazon.com
Coming from Perky Pet, we get a hummingbird feeder that comes in a similar design, but it still is a little different when it comes to some other aspects. This feeder can come in one, two or three packs with each one having a capacity of up to 30 ounces.
Besides the enormous nectar capacity, you also get six feeding ports that have a similar design when compared to the first feeder. They are also shaped in a flower-like design which makes the birds more comfortable around it.
Around the structure, you will see a circular perch that can be removed by the user.We don’t advise that since it is very useful for the hummingbirds as they can settle on it and rest while eating. Compared to the first model, this feeder features a clear glass reservoir which helps you see how much nectar is left in there.
This makes it easy to know when to clean it and at which point you should clean the interior of the reservoir or fill it with more nectar. The reservoir itself can be quickly unscrewed from the base of the structure. This way you can fill and clean it without holding the entire base of the feeder.
Features:
The features aren’t that present in this feeder, most of them are almost identical to other models on the market. But the characteristic that makes this feeder stand out is the vertical design which allows more space.
The aspects that are still reoccurring are the red color, feeding ports which are made in a flower-like design an extra plastic part which hummingbirds can use to sit on.
Build design:
One of the notable features about this feeder is that it offers a vertical shaped design which comes in the color red. This color will attract more hummingbirds, and with a number of feeding ports it has, it won’t be hard to accommodate them all.
There is also a part of that build which enables the birds to sit on it instead of constantly flying. This part can make it more attractable for hummingbirds and it will certainly increase the chance of them staying there for a longer time period.
Reservoir design:
The reservoir of this feeder comes in a long vertical design which isn’t tinted with any color, allowing the user to get a better look at how much nectar there actually is in the feeder. This aspect can help you in the cleaning process since you will see if the food got rotten or too sticky.
- Dimensions: 12 x 10 x 19.2 inches
- Weight: 1.5 pounds
- Material: Made out of plastic
Pros
- Great vertical design that takes less space.
- There is a spot for the birds to rest.
- The reservoir can be removed from the rest of the base.
Cons
- Doesn’t have any part to fend off other insects.
- Isn’t that good at higher temperatures.
5. Parasol BLOOMPAQ
Via: Amazon.com
Parasol offers a different design which can’t be seen in other feeders. It is absolutely gorgeous to look at and the colors are very vibrant. An interesting thing with this feeder is that the glass is made entirely with the recycled material.
The top of the hummingbird feeder offers a decanter style lid which can be easily removed if the user plans on adding more nectar. This way the cleaning is a lot easier on the outside, while it could get messy inside the feeder.
This smart design also repels any invading insects such as bees, ants or other bugs that could get in the reach of the nectar, which would make it hard for you to clean it up later. The feeder comes in two variations, aqua, and blue.
Both color designs offer the same features, they can both hold around 16 ounces of nectar. This may be a bit smaller compared to the previously reviewed models, but in return it is a lot more mobile, and it can be put in more places as well.
Features:
Parasol introduced quite a bit different design compared to other feeders on the market, which is surprising due to the absolute redundancy of the feeders currently available. The aspects that make this feeder special is the material used and the unique shape of the feeder, but more on that in the following parts.
Eco-friendly:
This product is entirely eco-friendly as the construction of it is made out of recycled glass. With this you can be sure that you’re helping nature in more than one way, you’re helping hummingbirds survive and you’re helping getting glass recycled at the same time.
Elegant design and mounting:
Another interesting feature to point out is the mounting design that it has, with an S-shaped hook you will get a lot more options on where to place the feeder. This design is also most likely more stable.
When it comes to some other parts of the construction, the reservoir is located inside the feeder itself and it can’t be removed. This characteristic may become annoying when you’re about to clean the feeder.
- Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 14.5 inches
- Weight: 1.7 pounds
- Material: Made out of glass
Pros
- Unique and gorgeous design
- S-shaped hook gives more options to mount it.
- Made with recycled glass.
Cons
- Doesn’t hold as much nectar when compared other models.
- Interior is little difficult to clean.
Which One Is The Best?
Via: Amazon.com
We have seen a lot of different feeders with some of them being unique while others may look entirely the same. We hope that you have a better understanding now about which features are important when it comes to feeders, as well as how to clean them.
Pointing out a clear winner here and identifying the best hummingbird feeder would be hard since all these feeders have some special characteristic, whether it is color, form factor or unique features. But if we had to pick our choice, it would be the First Nature 3090 since it offers practical features which focus more on the hummingbirds.
How Would You Clean It?
With the food being essentially a mix of sugar and water, you will have a hard time cleaning the feeder. If you don’t clean the feeder regularly you will end up with a dirty and sticky feeder which won’t attract hummingbirds.
But how would you clean the feeder? Note that soap should be always avoided due to how it affects our feeders. Just stick with hot water instead, which is the best way to clean objects.
On a monthly basis, you could make a bleach-like diluted substance with the help of a gallon of water and one-fourth cup of bleach. This way you can soak any rag into this mix and use it to later clean the feeder.
Are There Any Recipes For The Hummingbird Food?
Even though you can buy nectar in most pet stores, you can also make it in your own home with only a few items. You will just need to do the following:
- Mix a cup of sugar in four cups of water
- Boil the mixture in a saucepan
- After it boils, remove it and let it cool off
- Fill the feeders with the mixture
If you have an excess amount of food left after filling the feeders, you can save the rest in your refrigerator.
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