Using fake owls to scare away hummingbirds is a common tactic that many gardeners employ in an attempt to protect their plants and flowers. However, the effectiveness of fake owls at deterring hummingbirds is questionable at best. In this article, we’ll examine whether fake owls actually work to scare away hummingbirds or if they are essentially useless.
Do hummingbirds fear owls?
Hummingbirds have many natural predators, including owls. Owls are skilled hunters that can pluck hummingbirds right out of the air with their powerful talons. Understandably, hummingbirds have learned to be wary of owls and will actively avoid areas where owls are present. This instinctive fear is what leads some people to believe that fake owl decoys can be used to drive away hummingbirds.
Why are people using fake owls?
There are a few reasons why people try using fake owls to deter hummingbirds:
- Hummingbirds can damage gardens – Hummingbirds have long slender beaks that they use to slurp nectar from flowers. As they feed, they may inadvertently damage blooms. Gardeners may put up fake owls to try to scare the hummingbirds away and prevent further damage.
- Hummingbirds can be territorial – Hummingbirds are very territorial, especially when feeding. They will aggressively defend “their” feeders and flowers, even dive bombing other hummingbirds or animals. Fake owls could potentially scare away territorial birds.
- Owls eat hummingbirds – As mentioned earlier, owls are natural predators of hummingbirds. Gardeners assume the fake owls will activate the hummingbirds’ innate fear of owls and cause them to avoid the area.
Do fake owls work at scaring hummingbirds?
Unfortunately, while the idea behind using fake owls to frighten away hummingbirds makes logical sense, most evidence indicates that fake owl decoys are ineffective at actually deterring hummingbirds for more than a very short period.
Why fake owls fail to scare hummingbirds
There are several reasons why fake owls fall short when it comes to scaring hummingbirds:
- Hummingbirds have good vision – Hummingbirds have excellent eyesight. They can quickly determine that a fake owl is not real, robbing the decoy of any scariness.
- Hummingbirds have small brains – Some research suggests hummingbirds have relatively rudimentary thinking skills. They may not be able to associate a fake owl with a real dangerous predator after the initial fright wears off.
- Lack of movement – Fake owls are stationary. Once hummingbirds learn the owl won’t move, they ignore it.
- Hummingbirds are persistent – These tiny birds are surprisingly stubborn. Even if scared off at first, they will return repeatedly to feeders and flowers as their hunger drives them.
Evidence that fake owls don’t work
In addition to those explanations for why fake owls fail, there are also real world examples that demonstrate their ineffectiveness:
- Research study – A study published in Field Ornithology tested fake owls in multiple settings and found they did not deter hummingbirds for more than 1-2 days.
- Anecdotal evidence – Many gardeners report putting up owl decoys only to have hummingbirds completely ignore them within a matter of days.
- Continued sales – If fake owls worked, people wouldn’t continue buying new ones every year. The fact that they are mass produced and sold annually shows they don’t provide lasting results.
Other methods to deter hummingbirds
Since owl decoys are largely useless for scaring away hummingbirds in the long-term, what other options do gardeners have? Here are some other techniques that may work better:
Use physical barriers
You can block hummingbird access to plants by using physical barriers like:
- Netting – Covering plants with mesh netting can keep hummingbirds away.
- Scarers – Brightly colored ribbons or scare tape waved in the breeze may deter them.
- Water sprayers – Motion activated sprayers can startle birds when they approach.
Alter feeding locations
Hummingbirds very aggressively defend feeders. You can discourage them from specific areas by:
- Moving feeders – Put feeders well away from any favorite flowers you want to protect.
- Use multiple feeders – Spread feeding across several locations so no one area is worth fighting over.
- Remove feeders – Eliminating feeders altogether will remove the motivation to guard a territory.
Use unappealing plants
There are some flowering plants that hummingbirds find unappealing. They tend to avoid these:
- Marigolds
- Zinnias
- Petunias
- Geraniums
Planting more of these around your yard may make it generally less attractive to hummingbirds.
Conclusion
In summary, fake plastic owl decoys are not an effective long-term solution for deterring hummingbirds. The birds quickly realize the owls are not real and then ignore them entirely. Physical barriers, feeder adjustments, and unappealing flowers are better options for discouraging these stubborn birds. If you are battling pesky hummingbirds, skip the fake owl and try other hummingbird deterrents first.
