Ruby-throated hummingbirds are some of the smallest and most energetic birds found throughout eastern North America. Their high metabolism and active lifestyle require them to eat frequently throughout the day to maintain their energy levels. Understanding how often ruby-throats eat can provide insight into their behaviors and energy needs.
What Do Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds Eat?
Ruby-throated hummingbirds get most of their nutrition from drinking nectar from flowers. Their diet consists of:
- Flower nectar – Provides carbohydrates and some minerals
- Small insects and spiders – Provides protein
- Sugar water from feeders – Supplemental energy source
- Tree sap – Occasional source of nutrients
Nectar gives hummingbirds a quick energy boost from its sugar content. However, nectar lacks proteins, vitamins, and other nutrients hummingbirds need to thrive. To get a balanced diet, they supplement nectar by catching small insects and spiders mid-air or gathered from leaves and branches.
Favorite Flower Sources
Ruby-throats favor tubular shaped flowers that provide accessible nectar. Some of their preferred flower sources include:
- Trumpet creeper
- Bee balm
- Cardinal flower
- Morning glory
- Columbine
- Honeysuckle
Having a diversity of flowering plants that bloom throughout spring, summer, and fall helps provide ruby-throats with continuous nectar sources.
How Much Do Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds Eat?
The high metabolic rate of hummingbirds requires them to consume up to half their body weight in nectar each day. Their intake depends on factors including:
- Age – Nestlings and juveniles eat more frequently than adults
- Time of Day – Consume more in the morning and midday
- Season – Higher food intake during spring and summer
- Availability of food sources – May eat more when ample flowers are present
Given their tiny size, a few ounces of nectar and insects can meet their minimum daily nutritional requirements. However, dominant males actively defend flower territories to get first access to nectar supplies.
Estimates of Daily Intake
On average, ruby-throats likely consume:
- 1-2 ounces of nectar
- Hundreds of fruit flies and tiny insects
Their intake can double during cold nights or winter when more calories are needed to keep their high body temperature. Providing fresh nectar feeders daily helps supplement their diet during harsh weather or seasonal food shortages.
How Often Do They Eat Per Day?
Ruby-throats eat frequently throughout the day since nectar passes quickly through their digestive systems. Their feeding frequency depends on factors such as:
- Age – Nestlings may eat every 10-20 minutes
- Time of day – Feed every 10-15 minutes early and midday
- Temperature – May eat every 30 minutes in cold weather
- Energy needs – Increase frequency after intense chases or fights
During peak activity periods, they may visit flowers or feeders multiple times per hour. Here is an estimate of how often they feed:
| Time of Day | Feeding Frequency |
|---|---|
| Early Morning | Every 10-15 minutes |
| Mid-day | Every 15-20 minutes |
| Afternoon | Every 30-45 minutes |
| Evening | Every 30-60 minutes |
Their feeding schedule aligns with peak nectar production in flowers. By visiting flowers regularly when their nectar volume is highest, ruby-throats maximize their energy intake throughout the day.
Time Spent Feeding at Each Visit
Ruby-throats feed very quickly at each flower or feeder. Their time spent includes:
- Flowers – Up to 5 seconds inserting their beak into each flower
- Feeders – 1-2 minutes at a time
They can briefly consume enough nectar during each feeding session to provide energy until their next visit. This allows them to pollinate numerous flowers in a short timeframe.
Do Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds Feed at Night?
Ruby-throated hummingbirds primarily feed during daylight hours when flowers are producing nectar and insects are active. However, they sometimes feed up to 30 minutes after sunset and before sunrise.
Their vision and flight capabilities enable them to locate food even in low light conditions. Artificial lights around homes and streetlights may further extend their feeding times into the evening by providing illumination.
While not entirely nocturnal, attracting ruby-throats to feeders at dawn or dusk provides needed nutrition to start and end their day. The early activity also establishes a feeding territory before competing hummingbirds become active.
Nighttime Fasting
Ruby-throats may go into a voluntary fast during the nighttime when food is scarce and temperatures drop. Benefits of nighttime fasting include:
- Conserving energy when food sources are limited
- Lowering body temperature to reduce metabolic needs
- Entering torpor to slow heart and breathing rate
Waking up early to feed helps replenish their energy, nutrients, and body temperature after many hours of fasting overnight.
How Diet Varies by Season
The diet and feeding habits of ruby-throated hummingbirds change across seasons as food availability shifts. In spring and fall, their diet relies more heavily on insects to provide protein for reproduction and migration.
Spring
In spring, ruby-throats feed on more insects to support reproduction and nesting. They favor spiders and soft-bodied insects that provide essential protein and nutrients. Some spring feeding patterns include:
- Feed every 10-20 minutes at flowers and feeders first thing in morning
- Males establish flower feeding territories to attract females
- Females boost intake to support egg production
- Parents forage for insects to feed nestlings
Having insect-rich gardens with aphids, fruit flies, and spiders supports springtime nutrition needs.
Summer
In summer, more daylight hours, flowers, and insects allow almost constant feeding from dawn to dusk. Some summer patterns include:
- Visiting flowers and defended feeder territories every 10-20 minutes
- Consuming more nectar as main energy source
- Eating insects opportunistically while feeding on flowers
- Increasing intake during hot weather to stay energized
Ruby-throats monitor nectar production and may move between flower patches to track optimum bloom times.
Fall
In fall, ruby-throats increase feeding in preparation for migration. Some fall changes include:
- Bulking up by doubling nectar intake
- Eating more insects to provide fat reserves
- Moving to lower flowers as blooms fade in their range
- Visiting feeders more frequently as flowers disappear
Supplementing natural food supplies with nectar feeders helps provide energy for their long migrations to Central America.
Winter
Ruby-throats primarily winter in Central America where flower and insect food sources are abundant. Any overwintering birds have specialized feeding behaviors including:
- Eating from sap wells they create in trees
- Consuming insects that emerge on warm winter days
- Visiting any remaining flowers or feeders in their territory
- Entering torpor overnight to conserve energy
Providing clean nectar feeders and planting winter-blooming flowers can help support their survival during cold weather.
How Parents Feed Nestlings
Parent ruby-throats provide specialized care to their nestlings in the first couple weeks after hatching. The nestlings rely completely on their parents to deliver food frequently and directly into their mouths.
Food fed to nestlings
Parent hummingbirds feed their nestlings with:
- Pre-digested nectar
- Small soft-bodied insects
- Spider eggs and tiny spiders
The nectar provides quick energy, while the insects give essential proteins for growth. As the nestlings mature, parents gradually provide larger insects.
Frequency of feeding
In the first week after hatching, the nestlings are fed:
- Every 10-15 minutes from dawn to dusk
- Up to 1,000 times per day
The frequent feedings provide smaller meals that are easier for the tiny nestlings to digest. The feding frequency decreases slightly as the nestlings grow.
Feeding roles of parents
The male and female parents share feeding duties, with the female providing the majority of feedings. Typical roles include:
- Female – Up to 80% of feedings
- Male – 20% of feedings, also guards territory
Both parents feed the nestlings about equal amounts of food despite the unequal feeding times. The female parent spends more time at the nest, while the maledefends the surrounding territory.
Conclusion
Ruby-throated hummingbirds have a remarkable feeding schedule and diet that provides energy for their high metabolism. Their ability to eat frequently throughout the day by visiting hundreds of flowers and feeders enables their energetic lifestyle. Backyard gardeners can support hummingbirds by planting diverse nectar flowers and providing clean feeders, especially during migration and winter when food is limited.
