Hummingbirds are fascinating creatures that have captured people’s imaginations for centuries. One of the most intriguing things about them is their feeding habits, especially when it comes to feeding their young. Do adult hummingbirds actually bring nectar to their babies? Let’s take a closer look at the evidence.
How do hummingbirds feed their babies?
The short answer is no, adult hummingbirds do not directly bring nectar to their babies. Here’s a quick overview of how hummingbird babies are fed:
- Female hummingbirds build tiny, cup-shaped nests out of plant materials and spider webs.
- The female lays two pea-sized white eggs in the nest, usually laying one egg per day.
- While the eggs are incubating, the male and female hummingbirds take turns sitting on the nest to keep the eggs warm.
- Once the eggs hatch in about 2 weeks, the baby hummingbirds are called nestlings.
- The nestlings are helpless, naked, and have closed eyes at first.
- The parent hummingbirds feed the nestlings with regurgitated food, not nectar directly from flowers.
- The regurgitated food is made up partly of nectar but also contains insects and spider bits which provide protein.
- As the nestlings grow feathers and get bigger over 2-3 weeks, the parents spend more time away from the nest gathering food.
- Eventually the nestlings are ready to leave the nest and feed themselves.
So in summary, adult hummingbirds do not actively collect nectar and bring it directly back to babies in the nest. The nectar and insect food is first collected by the parents, consumed and partially digested, then regurgitated into the nestlings’ mouths.
What do hummingbird nestlings eat?
Baby hummingbirds rely on their parents to provide them with nutritious regurgitated food so they can grow and develop quickly in the nest. Here are the key elements of a nestling’s diet:
Nectar – The carbohydrate-rich nectar provides essential energy. The nectar passes through the adult’s digestive system and is mixed with proteins and nutrients from the other foods eaten. This makes it more digestible and nutritious for the nestlings.
Insects – Small insects like fruit flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and aphids provide protein, vitamins, minerals, and fat needed for growth. Some common insects eaten include spiders, caterpillars, ants, and insect eggs.
Fruit – Fruits also provide well-rounded nutrition including natural sugars, fiber, and phytonutrients. Ripe, fleshy fruits are preferred.
Tree sap – Tree sap is also an energy-rich food source that parent hummingbirds will collect and regurgitate when other foods are scarce.
So while nectar may make up a large portion of the nestling diet, the added nutrition from insects, fruit, and sap are crucial provide complete and balanced nutrition. Without this mix, the baby birds would unlikely thrive.
How do the nestlings ingest the regurgitated food?
Hummingbird nestlings do not have mature digestive systems at first. So how do they ingest and digest the specialized food brought by their parents? Here are some key points:
- The parent hummingbird regurgitates the food at the entrance to the nestling’s mouth. This stimulates the nestling to open its mouth wide and allow the food to be pumped in.
- The food is partially digested already, having been through the adult’s digestive system. Enzymes and proteins have started breaking down the starches, fat, and protein.
- The nestling’s mouth and throat have special adaptations to quickly transport the food into the body, bypassing the nonfunctional tongue and esophagus.
- Within the nestling’s stomach, more digestion occurs to extract nutrients and energy. The food moves very quickly through the simple digestive system.
- Any undigested waste is eventually excreted out of the nest as a dark liquid concentrate.
- As the nestlings mature, their digestive system gradually becomes more developed and functional like the adult’s.
This regurgitation method allows the nestlings to thrive on food they would not be able to swallow or digest on their own. It’s an ingenious natural solution that works well for hummingbirds!
How often do the babies need to be fed?
In the first week after hatching, hummingbird nestlings need to be fed very frequently. The speed of their metabolism is incredibly fast, so they can become hungry within 30 minutes!
Here is an overview of how feeding frequency changes:
Week 1 – Fed every 5-10 minutes from sunrise to sunset. Up to 1,500 feedings per week!
Week 2 – Fed every 10-15 minutes, tapering off somewhat at night. Around 1,000 feedings.
Week 3 – Fed every 20-30 minutes as appetite increases. 500-700 feedings per week.
Week 4– Fed every 30-45 minutes. From 350-500 feedings per week as nestlings can store more energy.
So during peak growth, the parents make countless trips back and forth to provide food practically non-stop. This frantic feeding schedule keeps the nestling’s sugar levels stable and provides energy for growth.
By the end of the nesting period, the feedings drop off as the young hummingbirds prepare to leave the nest and feed themselves. At this point, the parents will start ignoring begging calls and encouraging independence.
Do male and female hummingbirds both collect food for the babies?
Yes, male and female hummingbirds generally share the responsibility of caring for their young. Here is how their roles typically play out:
Females
- Build the nest
- Lay and incubate the eggs
- Spend more time brooding the nestlings
- Primary caregiver role
- Feed the nestlings slightly more often
Males
- Feed the female while she incubates eggs
- Help defend the territory from intruders
- Alert female to predators
- Assist with feeding duties
- Feed the female while she cares for nestlings
The female takes the lead in nesting and caring activities. But the male also plays a key supporting role in gathering food, keeping watch, and feeding the demanding nestlings.
Having two parents cooperate allows them to gather more food and ward off threats. It improves the odds of the two nestlings fledging successfully.
How do the parents know what food to bring back?
Hummingbirds have excellent memories that help them remember the locations of nutritious food sources. Here are some of the ways they pinpoint the best foods:
- Visual cues – Recognizing the appearance of flowers, plants, trees or insects that previously provided food.
- Location cues – Remembering a food source at a certain distance or direction from the nest.
- Smell and taste cues – Using their sense of smell and taste to seek out appealing food sources.
- Plant cycles – Tracking when certain flowers or trees bloom and bear fruit.
- Instincts – Innate behaviors lead them to energy-rich sources like sap, pollen, and nectar.
- Trial and error – Investigating new food sources and remembering the nutritious ones.
Their excellent spatial memory and multiple senses work together to help the adults hone in on the most efficient feeding spots. With practice, they build a mental map of reliable food hotspots near the nest.
How much do the nestlings grow each day?
Hummingbird nestlings grow remarkably fast. Here’s a breakdown of their rapid daily weight gain while in the nest:
Hatching – 0.6 grams
Day 2 – 0.7 grams
Day 3 – 0.9 grams
Day 5 – 1.5 grams
Day 7 – 2.5 grams
Day 9 – 3.5 grams
Day 11 – 5 grams
Day 13 – 6.5 grams
Day 15 – 7 grams
Fledging – 7 grams
For perspective, 7 grams is equivalent to about 5-6 paper clips! So in just over 2 weeks, the tiny hatchlings increase their body mass nearly tenfold. This is the fastest growth rate among birds.
The phenomenal weight gain happens thanks to:
- The extremely nutrient-rich food provided by the parents
- The nestling’s fast metabolism and digestion
- The stimulation to grow by hormones
- Minimal energy spent on moving around in the nest
This allows the nestlings to bulk up quickly so they have the best chance of fledging successfully out of the nest. Their rapid growth is fueled by the constant influx of food brought by the attentive parents.
Do the parents add anything to the food?
When regurgitating food to the nestlings, adult hummingbirds don’t add anything supplementary to the pre-digested mix.
However, the act of regurgitation itself changes the composition of the food in a few key ways:
- It’s ground up – The nectar and insects are mashed into a digestible pulp that requires little chewing.
- Higher in proteins – Salivary gland secretions add more amino acids, enzymes, and antibacterial proteins.
- More digestible – Passing through the adult’s digestive system partially breaks down the starches, fat, and protein.
- Nutrients absorbed – The concentration of minerals, vitamins, sugars and fats is increased.
So while nothing new is intentionally added, the food mixture delivered to the chicks is transformed through digestion to make it perfectly tailored to meet the nestlings’ nutritional needs.
Do hummingbirds make good parents?
Considering the incredible amount of time and effort hummingbird parents put towards raising their young, they are exceptionally nurturing and dedicated parents! Here are some of the ways they go the extra mile:
- Building a sturdy, weatherproof nest
- Incubating the eggs constantly for 2 weeks
- Keeping the eggs clean and at proper humidity
- Regurgitating nutrient-rich meals as often as every 5 minutes
- Feeding the nestlings hundreds of times a day
- Keeping watch for predators and defending the nest
- Sleeping nearby and resuming feeding at dawn
Additionally, hummingbird pairs appear to coordinate and communicate while sharing parenting duties. The female and male both play vital roles in ensuring the nestlings survive.
While hummingbird parents leave the nest for good once the babies fledge, they have fulfilled their duties admirably. Their intensive parental care in the nest is critical considering the nestlings are completely helpless when born. Thanks to their attentive parents, the young hummingbirds get the best start at life possible.
Do the parents recognize and favor their own babies?
Interestingly, parent hummingbirds do not recognize their own offspring. There are a few reasons for this:
- The eggs all look identical.
- The nestlings are born naked, deaf and blind.
- Rapid growth means their appearance changes daily.
- Nests are dark inside, preventing visual recognition.
- Parents do not remain at the nest except for feeding.
With no distinguishing features, there is no opportunity for the parents to form attachment or favoritism for their genetic offspring. Nestlings beg for food with equal intensity, triggering an equal feeding response.
So rather than preferential treatment, hummingbird parents distribute care for the nestlings based purely on need and survival of the fittest. Their energy is focused on keeping both chicks adequately fed, not playing favorites.
Do hummingbirds reuse the same nest?
Hummingbirds rarely reuse an old nest for a new set of eggs. There are a few key reasons for this:
- Nests deteriorate quickly due to weather exposure and use.
- Building a new nest helps ensure structural integrity.
- Parasites accumulate in used nests.
- Old nests may show cues to predators.
- Hummingbirds don’t return to the exact same territory each year.
- Building a nest helps reinforce pair bonding each mating season.
So while it’s not impossible for a hummingbird to reuse or repair an intact nest from the previous year, building a completely new one is much more common. It’s simply the most practical way to get a fresh start for their new brood.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while hummingbird parents do not directly bring nectar or other foods to feed their babies in the way many other birds do, they have mastered an extremely effective strategy of nourishing their nestlings.
Collecting a varied diet rich in nutrients and enzymes, digesting and perfectly preparing the food, then regurgitating hundreds of meals a day requires astonishing effort. However, this approach allows the nestlings to thrive and achieve the world’s fastest growth rate among birds. The phenomenal parental care hummingbirds provide their helpless hatchlings is a key factor in their reproductive success and survival as a species. So even without personally delivering nectar, hummingbird parents fully earn their reputation as some of the most devoted providers in the avian world.
