Hummingbirds are some of the most fascinating creatures on Earth. Their tiny size, incredible speed, and ability to hover seemingly defying gravity make them a joy to watch. Their metallic colors shimmer and change depending on the light, captivating us with their beauty. It’s no wonder that many people dream of having a hummingbird as a pet. But is it really possible to tame a hummingbird?
Do hummingbirds make good pets?
Hummingbirds are wild animals, not domesticated pets like dogs or cats. Attempting to tame them and keep them as pets carries a number of risks and difficulties:
– Hummingbirds have very specialized diets. In the wild they live entirely off nectar and small insects. Replicating their natural diet in captivity is challenging.
– They need a huge amount of calories relative to their tiny size to support their supercharged metabolisms. This requires nearly constant feeding throughout daylight hours.
– Hummingbirds are solitary creatures. They do not bond socially like parrots. Keeping them alone in captivity could cause distress.
– Their small size and rapid movements make them fragile. Accidents like flying into walls can easily injure or kill them.
– Sharp claws, needle-like beaks, and powerful wings make handling them a challenge. They can easily hurt themselves trying to escape.
– Stressing small birds like hummingbirds can weaken their immune systems and make them prone to disease. Captivity often shortens their lifespan.
So while their appeal as pets is understandable, hummingbirds are really not well-suited for domestication and taming. Removing them from the wild and keeping them captive could harm them and lower their quality of life. For animal welfare reasons, it’s best to appreciate hummingbirds by observing them in nature.
Is it legal to keep hummingbirds as pets?
In the United States and Canada, it is illegal for private individuals to keep native hummingbird species as pets. This includes animals taken from the wild and their offspring. Only licensed rehabilitators with permits may temporarily keep sick, injured or orphaned hummingbirds for rehabilitation purposes. They must be returned to the wild as soon as they are healthy.
Federal laws like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act protect native North American hummingbird species from capture, sale and being kept as pets. State and local regulations may provide additional restrictions against keeping hummingbirds in captivity. There are potential fines and other penalties for violating these laws.
However, a few non-native hummingbird species like the green-breasted mango have been bred in captivity and can be legally bought and kept as pets in some areas. Check all applicable laws before acquiring a hummingbird. Make sure you understand how to properly care for it and that you can meet all of its complex dietary and habitat needs. Never release non-native species into the wild.
Taming techniques
While keeping hummingbirds as pets is inadvisable for their well-being and often illegal, some techniques have been used to temporarily tame them for purposes like filming or study:
– **Hand-raising young chicks** – When hand-raised from just a few days old, some hummingbirds can become accustomed to human presence and handling to a degree. But they can still become highly stressed if restrained or confined.
– **Positive reinforcement** – Offering food rewards and avoiding grabbing or restraining hummingbirds can help them become less fearful around people over time. With patience, some may be willing to perch on hands or feeders.
– **Enclosures** – Specially designed enclosures with appropriate feeders, perches, plants, and ample flight space may reduce stress and injury risks for temporarily housing hummingbirds.
– **Mist nets** – These fine, barely visible nets are used by researchers to safely capture wild hummingbirds with minimal distress. The birds can then be banded for study and released.
However, most truly wild adult hummingbirds resist true taming. At best, negative experiences like capture can be minimized through careful handling. Their high-strung dispositions never fully change. The primary goal should always be returning them to the wild as soon as possible.
Unique Traits of Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds have many unique adaptations that would make taming them challenging:
Small size
Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world, with most species only 2 to 8 inches long and weighing 2 to 20 grams. Their tiny size makes them delicate and harder to handle safely. Keeping them in captivity poses risks like malnutrition, escape, and injury in confined spaces.
High metabolism
A hummingbird’s supercharged metabolism means it has to eat roughly every 10-15 minutes from dawn until dusk. Their hearts beat over 500 times per minute while feeding. Replicating this pressure to constantly eat in captivity is difficult.
Flight mechanics
Hummingbirds can fly forwards, backwards, upside down, and hover in midair. Their specially adapted wings allow effortless maneuverability unmatched by other birds. Keeping them in cages deprives them of this essential physical and mental stimulation.
No flocking behavior
Unlike social birds like parrots, hummingbirds do not naturally live or bond in flocks. They are solitary, territorial creatures. This means they do not do well kept with other hummingbirds, which increases stress and aggression.
Specialized diet
Hummingbirds live on flower nectar and tiny insects like fruit flies or aphids. They expend so much energy they can starve after just a few hours without food. Duplicating this diet in captivity while meeting micronutrient needs is extremely difficult.
Sensitive respiratory systems
A hummingbird’s rapid breathing and oxygen needs mean respiratory infections can development quickly in captivity. Their small size makes treatment difficult. Poor air quality and stress are major hazards.
These natural behaviors and adaptations mean hummingbirds fare very poorly as pets. Keeping them captive requires depriving them of nearly everything that makes them unique. This is why most attempts at taming them end in tragedy for the birds. Their needs are simply too specialized and delicate.
Ethical Concerns
Removing hummingbirds from the wild and keeping them as pets raises several ethical concerns:
Shorter lifespans
Hummingbirds only live 2-5 years in the wild on average. But studies of captive hummingbirds showed lifespans were 25-75% shorter. Lack of exercise, stress and improper nutrition severely impact their health over time.
Lack of stimulation
Hummingbirds are active, inquisitive creatures evolved for constant flight. Caging them deprives them of physical and mental stimulation. Many develop harmful obsessive behaviors like pacing along cage edges.
Inability to migrate
Most hummingbirds are seasonal migrants that travel thousands of miles. Depriving them of migration prevents breeding and exposes them to climate extremes they cannot withstand. Captivity essentially guarantees an early death.
Wild-caught vs captive-bred
Most captive hummingbirds are illegally wild-caught as adults or chicks. This is highly traumatic. The minority that are captive-bred still do not thrive. Breeding programs should focus on endangered species recovery only.
Difficult to rehabilitate/release
Hummingbirds hand-fed as chicks lose their natural foraging abilities. They cannot easily be taught migration routes. Those habituated to humans are unlikely to survive if released. So captivity becomes a life sentence.
The bottom line is attempting to tame hummingbirds often severely impacts their health and quality of life compared to wild birds. Their complex needs simply cannot be met even in the largest aviaries. From an ethical perspective, they are better off living naturally in the wild without human interference.
Alternatives to Keeping Hummingbirds as Pets
For those who love hummingbirds and want to attract them for enjoyment, there are several ethical alternatives to keeping them as pets:
Feeders
Nectar feeders can supplement natural food sources and provide close viewing opportunities. However, they should not become a total substitute for wild foraging. Clean feeders regularly to avoid disease transmission.
Native plants
Landscape with native plants known to provide nectar and attract insects that hummingbirds eat. Avoid pesticides. Place feeders near these plants to complement them.
Water features
Dripping water features provide drinking and bathing opportunities. Hummingbirds relish swooping through fine water mist on hot days.
Avoided disturbance
Allow hummingbirds to nest undisturbed. Never remove eggs or young chicks from the wild. Monitor nests discreetly from a distance if needed.
Photography
Use telephoto lenses and fast shutters to capture beautiful photos without disturbing normal behaviors. Never surround or chase birds. Give them space.
With a native-planted garden and unobtrusive feeders, hummingbirds can be enjoyed every bit as well as pets, if not more. The birds remain wild and free while enriching our lives with their beauty and energetic personalities. This approach maintains ethical standards while producing rewarding experiences.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you keep a hummingbird as a pet?
It is illegal in the U.S. and Canada to keep native wild hummingbirds as pets. A few non-native species can be acquired captive-bred but very difficult to care for properly. Hand-raising orphaned chicks should only be done by licensed rehabbers for release back to the wild.
What’s the easiest hummingbird to tame?
No hummingbird species is truly easy to tame. Their specialized needs for exercise, social interaction, migrated, diet and more cannot be met in captivity. Some hand-raised birds may become slightly habituated but retaining wild behaviors is extremely difficult. Most remain high-strung.
Do pet hummingbirds bond with humans?
There is little evidence that hummingbirds form affectionate bonds with humans as some birds like parrots do. Most remain solitary, territorial, and high-energy despite hand-raising. They may learn to associate people with food but do not desire physical closeness and companionship. Their biology drives them to mate and migrate, not socialize.
Can you buy a pet hummingbird?
In most areas it is illegal to buy, sell or keep native wild hummingbirds as pets. A few captive-bred non-native species may be available commercially in some regions, but care difficulty makes them unsuitable pets for inexperienced owners. Extensive research into proper diet, Housing, enrichment and more is required first.
Why are hummingbirds bad pets?
Reasons hummingbirds make poor pets include their small size, specialized diet that’s hard to duplicate, need for near-constant feeding, lack of social bonding behaviors, intolerance of confinement, high sensitivity to respiratory infections and stress, inability to migrate or breed, and greatly reduced lifespan compared to wild birds. Keeping them captive is challenging for both owners and the birds’ well-being.
Conclusion
Hummingbirds are fascinating, beautiful creatures that have captivated people’s imagination for generations. But attempting to tame them and keep them as pets often ends tragically due to their highly specialized care needs. They are not wired by evolution to thrive in captivity apart from their normal wild behaviors. Additionally, native species protected by law make pet ownership illegal in most cases.
Providing natural food sources and habitat is a much more ethical way to attract hummingbirds and enjoy their presence. With a proper garden, feeders and careful observation, we can observe and delight in these tiny dynamos during the seasons they are near without doing them harm. Their best life is still out there in the wild, visiting us briefly in all their shimmering brilliance. If we create welcoming spaces for them in nature, that can be enough for satisfying our desire to admire these aerial jewels up close.
