Hummingbirds are amazing little creatures that captivate us with their beauty, speed, and aerial acrobatics. One of the most fascinating aspects of hummingbird life history is how they care for their young. Hummingbirds build intricate nests, lay tiny eggs, and feed their chicks an energy-packed diet of nectar and insects to help them grow. Read on to learn all about how hummingbird parents nourish their chicks from hatching to fledging.
When do hummingbirds nest and raise chicks?
Hummingbirds time their nesting and breeding activities to coincide with peak flower blooming periods so plenty of nectar is available to feed their high-energy needs. Exact nesting seasons vary by species and geographic location, but in general, most hummingbirds in North America breed between February and August. However, some tropical hummingbird species can nest year-round if sufficient flowers and food resources are present.
Here are the typical hummingbird nesting and breeding seasons for some common North American species:
- Ruby-throated hummingbird: Between April and June, with earlier nesting in southern parts of range
- Black-chinned hummingbird: Between April and July
- Anna’s hummingbird: Between November and June, often through summer along Pacific coast
- Rufous hummingbird: Between May and July
- Allen’s hummingbird: Between December and July
- Calliope hummingbird: Between May and August
Once nests are built, the female hummingbird lays between 1-3 tiny pea-sized eggs. She will incubate the eggs for about 2 weeks before they hatch. After hatching, hummingbird chicks grow incredibly fast. They’ll leave the nest and fledge in 2-4 weeks, soon reaching adult size.
Where do hummingbirds build their nests?
Hummingbird nests are true architectural marvels. They are thimble-sized cups expertly crafted by the female hummingbird out of a variety of materials such as soft plant down, moss, buds, bark, spider webs, feathers, and lichen. Lichen covered branches and bark are common nest sites, allowing the small nests to be camouflaged.
Hummingbirds may place their nests in a variety of locations, but some favorites include:
- On branches of trees and shrubs
- In berry brambles or vines
- On brackets of buildings, signs, or lamp posts
- On rocky cliff ledges
- Within tree hollows or cavities
The nest location provides shelter and helps stabilize and securely attach the nest. Hummingbirds often exhibit nest site fidelity, returning to the same nesting area each year. Some species will even reuse a nest from a previous season for renovations!
What do baby hummingbirds eat?
To power their wing-flapping hover flight, hummingbirds have incredibly high metabolisms and energy needs. Baby hummingbirds are just as energy demanding as the adults. Here is a closer look at the diet and eating habits of growing hummingbird chicks:
Nectar
The primary food source for hummingbird chicks is sugary nectar. Baby hummingbirds eat a lot of nectar to satisfy their high calorie requirements. The parents work tirelessly to gather small amounts of nectar from flowers to deliver to their young. As the nestlings grow, the parents increase the frequency of feedings to keep up with their energy needs.
Insects and Spiders
In addition to nectar, hummingbird chicks need plenty of protein, vitamins, and minerals to support their fast growth and development of muscles, bones, and feathers. To provide this nutrition, adult hummingbirds will supplement the chick’s nectar diet with tiny insects and spiders gathered from tree branches and leaves.
Good protein-packed menu items include small flies, gnats, aphids, mosquitoes, spiders, insect eggs, and larvae. With excellent vision, hummingbird parents are able to precisely find these tiny nutritious prey items to feed their offspring.
Regurgitation
Baby hummingbirds do not eat independently. Instead, they are completely dependent on their parents to provide food for them. The adult hummingbirds communicate with chicks through begging calls. When the chicks beg and squeak, the adult knows to search for food.
The parent hummingbird then collects nectar and insects into its beak and crop. It returns to the nest and regurgitates this slurry directly into the baby’s mouth. This process of eating a mix of nectar and insects that has been gathered and regurgitated by a parent is how hummingbird chicks are fed until they fledge from the nest.
How often do hummingbird parents feed their chicks?
Caring for rapidly growing hummingbird chicks is a full time occupation for the parents. Their feeding schedule ramps up quickly once the chicks hatch. Here are some details on how often baby hummingbirds are fed:
- Newly hatched chicks are fed every 20-30 minutes from dawn to dusk.
- As chicks grow, feeding frequency increases to every 10-15 minutes.
- Total daily feedings can add up to hundreds of trips back and forth by each parent.
- Feeding rates peak when chicks are 2-3 weeks old.
- Only in the first day or two after hatching may chicks be fed less often, every 1-2 hours.
This demanding feeding schedule explains why you often see hummingbirds visiting backyard feeders more frequently in spring and summer when they are rearing chicks.
Do both hummingbird parents feed the chicks?
Yes, together the male and female hummingbird work as a team to feed their chicks. The female alone builds the nest and incubates the eggs. But once the chicks hatch, the male takes on an equal role in caring for the young.
Hummingbird pair bonds dissolve after breeding, but the male continues to provide and bring food to the chicks along with the female. The participation of both parents allows them to make the hundreds of daily feeding trips required to sustain their fast-growing brood.
Parent | Feeding Role |
---|---|
Female | Builds nest, incubates eggs, feeds chicks |
Male | Feeds chicks |
This shared parenting is essential to successfully raise healthy chicks that are ready to fledge on their own in just 2-4 weeks.
Do hummingbird parents feed each other?
Hummingbird courtship involves males feeding females as part of mating displays and bonding behaviors. However, once eggs are laid, the focus shifts completely to caring for the chicks.
During the demanding chick rearing period, hummingbird parents are entirely focused on gathering food for their offspring. They do not take time away from chick feedings to continue courtship feeding of each other.
In fact, as soon as chicks hatch the strong breeding pair bond quickly dissolves. The male and female only interact when they happen to come to the nest at the same time to feed the demanding chicks.
What happens if a baby hummingbird falls out of the nest?
Despite being expert nest builders, hummingbird chicks sometimes fall out of their nests. Young nestlings may be accidentally bumped from the nest by the parents. Older chicks may fall out once they start moving around more in preparation for fledging.
If you find a baby hummingbird on the ground, here are some steps to help:
- Gently return the chick to the nest if possible. Monitor to ensure parents resume feeding.
- If the nest was damaged, create a substitute nest in a small basket or container lined with fabric.
- Only touch chicks when absolutely essential. Hummingbird parents will not reject chicks due to human scent.
- If parents do not resume feeding, take the chick to a wildlife rehabilitation center for expert care.
With some help, even grounded chicks can often continue to be fed by their parents and avoid starvation.
When do hummingbird chicks leave the nest?
If all goes well, hummingbird chicks will fledge and leave the nest 18-25 days after hatching. Here are more details on when fledging occurs:
- Chicks will fledge once they can fly strongly enough to escape predators.
- In the few days before fledging, chicks will perch on the nest rim gaining flight strength.
- Parents continue care and feeding of chicks for a week or two after fledging.
- Precocial species like hermits may leave the nest sooner at 2-3 weeks old.
- Slower feather development in incubation can delay fledging by a few extra days.
Fledging is a vulnerable time for young hummingbirds, and this is when you may notice them visiting feeders in your yard as parents show them good nectar sources.
Do hummingbird parents continue feeding after chicks fledge?
Yes, hummingbird parents continue providing care even after the chicks successfully leave the nest and fledge. For the first two weeks after fledging, the parents will follow the young birds around and continue bringing them food.
This extended parental care ensures the fledglings learn to feed themselves and become strong flyers able to escape predators. By about 3-4 weeks of age, the young hummingbirds are feeding fully independently.
These post-fledging feeds are critical for the survival and growth of the new hummingbirds. Even after leaving the nest, the young birds still need the energy their parents provide until they are mature enough to meet all their own nutritional needs.
Do hummingbirds use the same nest more than once?
Most hummingbird species create a new nest each breeding season. But occasionally hummingbirds will reuse an old nest, or refurbish one from a previous year to save energy.
Here are some examples of hummingbirds reusing nesting sites:
- Black-chinned hummingbirds may repair and reuse a nest from the prior year.
- Calliope hummingbirds often build on top of an old nest on the same site.
- Broad-tailed hummingbirds are known to reuse nests within a breeding season.
- Anna’s hummingbirds may reuse a nest up to 3 seasons in some cases.
Nest reuse appears most common in western hummingbirds where breeding seasons can extend through summer. Reusing old nests saves time and effort for the parents.
Do male and female hummingbirds share feeding equally?
Male and female hummingbird parents both take on an intense feeding schedule to raise their chicks. However, some studies show subtle differences between the sexes:
- Male Anna’s hummingbirds made more daily feeds than females in research.
- Male Allen’s hummingbirds fed chicks more often in early morning.
- Female black-chinned hummingbirds fed chicks more in late afternoon.
- Overall, males and females shared feeding duties roughly equally.
Both parents are critically important to deliver the hundreds of small meals needed daily by fast-growing chicks. Males may contribute more food early or late in the day, but together the parents ensure round-the-clock feedings.
Do hummingbirds remember and return to feeding spots each year?
Hummingbirds certainly demonstrate an excellent memory and ability to recall favorable feeding locations from season to season. Here are some signs of hummingbirds remembering and revisiting feeders and flowers:
- Individual hummingbirds may return to the same yards and feeders year after year.
- Adults will bring fledglings to feeders they remember from past years.
- Hummingbirds remember the location of reliable nectar sources.
- Banding studies document hummingbirds returning to the same sites annually.
- Feeders placed in the same spots tend to attract repeat hummingbirds.
This homing ability and seasonal site fidelity helps hummingbirds find food efficiently and continue teaching new generations the best feeding areas.
Conclusion
Raising tiny hummingbird chicks is no small feat. These amazing parents build intricate nests, locate nutrient-packed spider and insect prey, and continuously gather nectar to satisfy their chicks’ huge appetites. Their dedication pays off, with hummingbird fledglings rapidly gaining flight skills and independence to continue the fascinating life cycle of these captivating pollinators.