Hummingbirds are some of the smallest and most unique birds in the world. Their bodies and behaviors are adapted for hovering flight, feeding on nectar, and defending flower territories from competitors. But what other animals compete with hummingbirds for food and habitat?
Insects
Insects are one of the main competitors for hummingbirds when it comes to food sources. Like hummingbirds, many insects feed on the nectar from flowers. Bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, and flies all seek out nectar as an important energy source.
Bees in particular heavily compete with hummingbirds for flower nectar. There are over 20,000 species of bees globally, and most rely on nectar to provide energy for flight and their daily activities. Bees often build nests near reliable flower sources, resulting in localized competition with hummingbird species in that habitat.
Butterflies and moths also sip nectar through their long proboscises. There are over 180,000 species of butterflies and moths, many of which feed on common hummingbird flowers. Their competition is especially high in the tropics, where flowering plant diversity is immense.
Flies represent an astounding 1 million different species, and many flies drink nectar as adults. Mosquitoes, hoverflies, and vinegar flies visit many of the same brightly colored, scented flowers that attract hummingbirds.
To deal with all these insects seeking the same nectar resources, hummingbirds have evolved long, specialized beaks and tongues to reach nectar that shorter-billed insects cannot. Their hovering flight allows them to access flowers from any angle.
Other Birds
Other birds compete with hummingbirds in two main ways – by eating the same floral nectar resources, and by occupying the same habitat space.
Some birds that drink nectar much like hummingbirds include sunbirds, honeyeaters, and flowerpeckers. There are over 130 species of sunbirds in Africa, Asia, and Australasia that fill an ecological niche similar to hummingbirds in the Americas. Their long, thin beaks and brush-tipped tongues allow them to slurp nectar from flowers.
Honeyeaters comprise over 180 species of birds found in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby regions. They have special brush-like tips to their tongues to lap up nectar efficiently from flowers, shrubs, and trees. Like hummingbirds, honeyeaters aggressively defend flowering territories.
Flowerpeckers are another family of small birds that feed on nectar, this time inhabiting tropical southern Asia. The 60 species have short and sharply-pointed beaks to access flower nectar often missed by hummingbirds and insects.
Across hummingbird habitats, there are many other opportunistic bird species like orioles, tanagers, and creepers that will visit flowers for nectar when available, putting them in occasional conflict over food resources.
In addition to food competition, birds also occupy territory and habitat space needed by hummingbirds. Species like woodpeckers, swallows, swifts, and starlings all nest in tree cavities or construct aerial nests on branches and cliffs. Since hummingbirds also rely on similar natural nesting sites, suitable spots can be in short supply.
Bats
Like hummingbirds, bats are highly mobile, active animals that require a nutrient-rich diet to fuel their energetic lifestyles. Nectar-feeding bats occur in tropical regions around the world and are important pollinators for many flowers in those habitats.
Specialized nectar bats have long snouts and tongues adapted for delving into flowers to reach energy-rich nectar. They can hover and use echolocation to find flowers, making them formidable competitors for nectar-loving hummingbirds.
Some species like the Pallas’s long-tongued bat and Geoffroy’s tailless bat are migratory nectar-feeders that seasonally travel long distances following flower bloom patterns, much like hummingbird migrations. This brings bats into seasonal competition over food availability at flowers.
A few examples of nectar-feeding bats around the world that compete with hummingbirds include:
- Pallas’s long-tongued bat – India and southeast Asia
- Lesser long-nosed bat – Mexico and Central America
- Grey long-eared bat – Thailand and southeast Asia
- Geoffroy’s tailless bat – Mexico south to Brazil
- Southern blossom bat – Australia and New Guinea
In the tropics where flowering plants abound, bats and hummingbirds have carved distinct niches. Hummingbirds feed more during daylight hours when flowers produce the most nectar. Bats take over at dusk and night when fewer flowers are available.
Lizards
A few clever lizard species compete with hummingbirds by stealing nectar from “hummingbird flowers.” These lizards have developed unique strategies to raid flowers typically pollinated by hummingbirds.
In the southwestern United States and Mexico, the aptly named hummingbird lizard pokes its head into flowers to steal nectar. It has a long tongue with a split tip to lap up nectar. The hummingbird lizard sprints from flower to flower like its avian namesake.
Chuckwallas are large desert lizards of the American southwest. When flowers bloom, they climb tall cacti and trees to get access to nectar sources used by hummingbirds and insects.
The Barbados anole found in the Caribbean has the unusual ability to hover in one place by rapidly fluttering its forelimbs. This allows it to hover-feed from flowers adapted for hummingbird pollination.
While sneaky lizards pilfer some flower nectar, they are limited by an inability to fly. Hummingbirds can access a wider range of flower heights and locations out of reach of lizards stuck on the ground or slow-moving tree branches.
Tree squirrels
Like lizards, some clever tree squirrels have found ways to cheat hummingbirds out of some of their floral food. While tree squirrels mainly eat nuts, fruits, and plant materials, they opportunistically drink nectar to supplement their diet.
In California and the southwest United States, golden-mantled ground squirrels, rock squirrels, and antelope ground squirrels visit hummingbird feeders or pierce the bases of flowers favored by hummingbirds. The squirrels poke holes with their teeth and then lick up the seeping nectar.
This “nectar robbing” behavior by squirrels provides them carbohydrate-rich nutrition without the strains of chasing insects or nibbling plant foods. However, the damage they inflict can reduce flower health and decrease nectar for local hummingbirds.
Just like lizards, squirrels lack the efficient flight and hover abilities of hummingbirds. This restricts them to flowers within reach from the ground or trees, reducing their competitive niche.
Conclusion
In summary, hummingbirds face their greatest competition from other winged, aerial creatures that can access the same blossoms and flower sites. Bees, butterflies, birds, and bats all frequently seek the same nectar rewards as hummingbirds across habitats worldwide.
Slower, less mobile animals like lizards and tree squirrels also sneak nectar when given the chance. But they are limited by an inability to fly and hover efficiently from flower to flower like hummingbirds can.
Hummingbirds have evolved specialized body plans and behaviors to meet these competitive challenges. Their hovering flight, slender beaks, bifurcated tongues, and aggressive territoriality allow them to thrive and find their own feeding niches despite the many competitors wanting to eat the same sweet flower nectar.
