It’s a common sight at backyard hummingbird feeders across North America – flashy, colorful male hummingbirds darting around and chasing each other away from the feeders while the dull colored females seem to spend all their time sitting on the feeders eating. This leads many people to wonder – why are there no colorful male hummingbirds feeding from the feeders?
The Role of the Male Hummingbird
To understand why male hummingbirds are not often seen feeding, we first need to understand the role of the male hummingbird. In almost all hummingbird species, the males take on very little responsibility when it comes to raising young. Their key jobs are to attract a female mate through elaborate courtship displays and to defend a territory that contains enough food resources for the female to raise her brood.
Once mating has occurred, the female will build a tiny cup-shaped nest out of spider webs, lichens and moss. She incubates the eggs alone and feeds the hatchlings on her own by catching hundreds of insects each day. With no paternal duties to attend to, the male is free to continue displaying, mate-guarding and defending his territory throughout the breeding season.
Energy-Intensive Courtship Displays
A big reason male hummingbirds are not observed feeding as frequently as females is because they expend so much energy on courtship displays. In order to attract a mate, males perform complex flying routines and aerial maneuvers right in front of the female. This includes flying in loops, arcs and dive bombs, as well as hovering right in front of the female.
These physically exerting moves are fueled by sugary nectar, but they burn up tremendous amounts of energy. In fact, the metabolism of male hummingbirds during the breeding season may be the highest of any vertebrate animal on Earth. Since courtship displays are so energetically expensive, males have to regularly break off displaying to seek out more nectar energy.
Territorial Behavior
The high energy demands of courtship displays are compounded by the male hummingbird’s need to defend a breeding territory. Hummingbirds are highly territorial, with males staking claim to an area containing flower patches, feeding areas, perches and nest sites.
Males will aggressively chase other males out of their territories, engaging in intense midair battles and complex dive displays designed to intimidate intruders. Keeping other males away from food sources and potential mates also burns up substantial energy reserves, meaning males need to frequently leave their posts to refuel.
Females Are Built to Feed
In addition to the male’s mating and territorial priorities, the physical characteristics and behaviors of female hummingbirds also help explain why they are so much more likely to be seen feeding.
In most species females have less colorful plumage than males, likely because they don’t need bright colors to attract a mate. Their energy instead goes directly into developing their wings and muscles for efficient feeding. Their bills are also better adapted for accessing nectar than the males’ longer, more curved bills designed for aerial displays.
While males are busy with courtship displays, females are continuously feeding to acquire enough energy for egg production and incubating their clutch. Once the eggs hatch, the demands intensify as the females must feed their chicks every 5-10 minutes throughout the day.
With nests to build, eggs to lay and hungry hatchlings to feed, it’s no wonder female hummingbirds seem to spend all daylight hours traplining between nectar sources – they are single parents who depend on storing up immense amounts of energy.
Conclusion
In summary, male hummingbirds are not often seen feeding at backyard feeders due to their minimal role in raising young, their need to perform energetically expensive courtship displays, and their territorial behavior. Meanwhile, female hummingbirds have high nutritional demands for breeding and raising offspring that require them to feed almost constantly throughout the day.
The flashy males rely on their colors and aerial skills to attract a mate, while hard-working female hummingbirds depend on readily accessible, high-energy food sources to successfully reproduce. So next time you see a buzzing crowd of females at your feeder without any males, remember it is not bad manners keeping them away – it is simply biology.
| Reason | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Male role in breeding | Males do not incubate eggs or care for young, allowing them to devote time to other behaviors |
| Energy spent on courtship | Displays for attracting females burn up nutrients, requiring males to frequently refuel |
| Territorial behavior | Chasing away intruders takes energy, meaning males must take feeding breaks |
| Female adaptations | Females have efficient feeding morphology and high nutritional demands for breeding |
Key Points
- Males spend time and energy on courtship displays rather than feeding
- Defending a territory from other males also burns up energy reserves
- Females build nests, lay eggs and raise young alone
- Females need to feed almost constantly to meet nutritional demands
- Female body and bill shape optimized for accessing nectar
