Hummingbirds are amazing little creatures that bring joy to backyard bird watchers everywhere. Their tiny size, incredible speed, and flashy iridescent colors make them a delight to observe. Hummingbirds are also essential pollinators for many flowering plants. By providing food sources in your yard that appeal to hummingbirds, you can help sustain healthy local hummingbird populations while enjoying their beauty and interesting behaviors.
When it comes to offering treats to attract hummingbirds, one of the best options is fruit. Hummingbirds obtain most of their nutrition from flower nectar and small insects, but they will also feed on the sugary pulp and juice inside certain fruits. It’s important to choose fruits that match a hummingbird’s needs and preferences. The ideal fruits for hummingbirds are those that are small, soft, high in sugar content, and red, orange, or purple in color. Avoid fruits with pits, seeds, or tough skins, as well as fruits high in acidity or citric flavors. With the right kinds of fruit, you can provide essential supplementary nutrition for visiting hummingbirds.
What Do Hummingbirds Eat?
Hummingbirds have very high metabolisms and rapid heart rates that require them to consume significant quantities of energy. To fuel their energetic lifestyles, hummingbirds get most of their calories from sucrose-rich flower nectar and tree sap. They have specially adapted long, slender beaks and tongues that are ideal for slurping up liquid sugars.
While nectar is their mainstay food source, hummingbirds also consume small soft-bodied insects for essential proteins and nutrients. Preferred insect foods include fruit flies, aphids, spider mites, caterpillars, ants, beetles, and insect eggs. Hummingbirds hunt for insects among flowers, on trees and plants, in spiderwebs, and anywhere else their prey may lurk.
In addition to nectar and insects, hummingbirds will augment their diet with sweet juices and soft pulp from certain ripe fruits. They tend to favor the tastes of red, orange, and purple fruits, which also provide beneficial antioxidants like vitamin C and anthocyanins. Some types of fruit are more nutritionally appropriate and enticing for hummingbirds than others.
Best Fruits for Hummingbirds
When selecting fruits to put out to attract hummingbirds to your yard, focus on varieties that are naturally sweet, low in acidity, contain some soft edible pulp, and are red, orange, purple, or pink in color. Some excellent fruits that hummingbirds relish include:
Raspberries
Raspberries are one of the best fruits you can offer to delight hungry hummingbirds. Their small size and plump, tender drupelets make them easy for hummingbirds to eat. Raspberries have a sweet flavor with low tartness, and they contain antioxidants like vitamin C, manganese, and compounds called anthocyanins that give raspberries their rich red color. Leave ripe raspberries out in small clusters and watch hummingbirds quickly devour them.
Blackberries
Like raspberries, blackberries are an enticing, easy-to-eat fruit that will attract hummingbirds to your yard. Blackberries also contain antioxidants and have a low acidic content compared to many other fruits. As a bonus, hummingbirds can pick out tiny insects that may be hiding among the blackberry’s small drupelets. Set out overripe berries or mash them up to release more sweet nectar for enthusiastic hummingbirds.
Strawberries
The red color and conical shape of strawberries seem to appeal to hummingbirds. Strawberries are low in acidity, high in sugar, and easy for hummingbirds to pierce with their long beaks. Leave halved or quartered strawberries in a feeder, or skewer them onto a branch or stick secured in a flower pot. The vitamin C and fiber in strawberries provide health benefits as well.
Watermelon
Watermelon is a favorite ripe fruit of many backyard hummingbirds. It is low in acid, high in sugars, and has a bright interior color that attracts hummingbirds. Chop watermelon into small cubes, or cut triangular openings or holes in watermelon wedges for easy access. Push a stick into watermelon chunks to create fruit kebabs that you can hang or set out for summertime feasting.
Pomegranate
While many fruits have tough skins, the edible ruby seeds inside a pomegranate are perfect for hummingbirds. Pomegranates offer a bounty of sweet juices and soft pulp. Pull apart pomegranates and let hummingbirds dip their beaks into the exposed seeds, or fill a small feeder with pomegranate seeds. Pomegranate’s antioxidant nutrients add health perks for energetic hummingbirds.
Honeysuckle
The tubular red flowers of honeysuckle vines produce abundant nectar, making them a hummingbird magnet. As the flowers fade, the leftover green seed pods of honeysuckle ripen into a sweet, soft fruit. Hummingbirds will happily eat the small ripe berries. Honeysuckle fruit contains antioxidants like chlorogenic acid and a small amount of vital carotenoids as well.
Fuchsia
The showy, hanging flowers of ornamental fuchsia plants are hugely attractive to hummingbirds. And it turns out hummingbirds also like the sweet edible berries that fuchsia produces after flowering. Fuchsia berries have a tropical taste reminiscent of kiwi or mango. Offer ripe fuchsia berries to hummingbirds in late summer and fall as an energy-packed dietary supplement.
How to Offer Fruit for Hummingbirds
Once you select enticing, nutritious fruits for hummingbirds, the next step is determining the best presentation method. Here are some tips for serving fruit to maximize hummingbird interest:
Use special feeders
You can purchase delightful feeders specifically designed for offering fruit to hummingbirds. These feeders have short perches and large circular openings to easily access fruit. They protect fruit from bugs and allow easy refilling. Position fruit feeders near nectar feeders to attract visiting hummers over for a fruit snack.
Skewer or hang fruit
Alternatively, you can spear chunks of fruit onto a stick or skewer and insert this fruit kebab into a flower pot or holder. Hanging fruit pieces are easy targets for hummingbirds to find. For fruits like strawberries, slice an opening or cut in half before skewering them to expose the flesh.
Offer tiny pieces
Chop up larger fruits into bit-sized pieces no bigger than a hummingbird’s beak. Small pieces are easier for hummingbirds to eat. Place diced fruit into a shallow bowl or pile it into fruit feeders. Tiny diced fruit will also release more sweet juice that hummingbirds can lap up.
Don’t use additives
You don’t need to add any sugar water or other liquid to fruits offered to hummingbirds. The natural sugar content of ripe fruits is perfect on its own. Avoid mixing in artificial nectar, flavorings or colorings which are unhealthy for hummingbirds.
Avoid spoilage
Ripe fruit left out will quickly spoil in heat and attract pests. Only put out small quantities that hummingbirds can eat within a day. Remove and replace fruit before it turns moldy or fermented. Wash feeders daily to prevent bacterial growth.
Use red or colorful containers
Brightly colored dishes or feeders will help grab the attention of passing hummingbirds. Containers dyed red are especially eye-catching. Just avoid using any artificial coloring near the fruit that hummingbirds could accidentally ingest along with their fruity snacks.
Transitioning Hummingbirds from Nectar to Fruit
Hummingbirds naturally feed on flower nectar all summer and switch over to eating more fruit in the fall as flowers fade. You can facilitate this transition in your own yard by initially offering fruit right next to nectar feeders. Once hummingbirds discover the fruit, gradually move the fruit farther away from the nectar feeders.
To fully transition hummingbirds onto fruit instead of nectar, it’s best to take down nectar feeders or let them run empty for a few days. This will encourage hummingbirds to seek out your fruit buffet for their main food source instead.
Pay attention to any behavioral changes in hummingbirds as their diet shifts to increased fruit consumption. Some hummingbirds may become more territorial over fruit supplies, leading to chasing behaviors. Maintain multiple fruit feeders spread widely around your property to minimize squabbles.
Best Time for Offering Fruit
Fruit will be most attractive to hummingbirds from midsummer through early fall when natural nectar supplies start to decline. During spring and early summer when flowers are abundant, hummingbirds are less likely to take an interest in backyard fruit offerings.
The very best timing for putting out fruits is late summer into fall when hummingbirds have higher calorie and sugar needs to prepare for migration. Examples of peak fruit feeding times for hummingbirds based on region are:
Northeast
- August to September
Mid-Atlantic
- August through October
Southeast
- September to early November
Southwest
- July to September
Northwest and West Coast
- August into early October
These time periods are when hummingbirds are most likely to visit your yard and have the highest energy requirements in preparation for migration or cold winter months. Schedule your fruit feedings to coincide with peak activity based on your location.
Fruits to Avoid for Hummingbirds
While certain fruits make perfect natural treats for hummingbirds, other fruits may be risky or harmful. Steer clear of the following types of fruits when trying to attract hummingbirds:
Citrus fruits
- Oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit
- Too acidic and low in nutrients
Berries with pits or seeds
- Cherries, peaches, nectarines
- Choking hazards
Hard, tough fruits
- Apples, pears, dried fruits
- Difficult for hummingbirds to eat
Unripe or unwashed fruits
- Can cause digestive upset
- May contain harmful bacteria
Artificial flavorings or colors
- Unsafe if ingested by hummingbirds
- Not nutritionally beneficial
Always inspect fruits before setting them out to ensure they are fresh, clean, ripe, naturally colorful, and easy for hummingbirds to digest. Monitor to see which specific fruits attract hummingbirds to your habitat and focus on continuing to provide those preferred varieties.
Conclusion
Supplementing hummingbird diets with sweet, nutritious fruits is a great way to attract these special birds to your outdoor space. The best fruits for hummingbirds are small, soft, low in acidity, and rich in natural sugars. Excellent choices include raspberries, blackberries, chopped strawberries, watermelon, pomegranate, honeysuckle, and fuchsia berries. Place fruits in specialty feeders or skewer them for easy accessibility to hummingbirds. Offer fruits during late summer and early fall when hummingbird energy needs are highest and natural nectar sources are declining. With the right fruits served at the right times, you can provide important nutrition for migrating hummingbirds while enjoying their lively antics in your yard.