Quick Answers
Hummingbirds are naturally curious and will often investigate anything new or interesting in their environment, including people. With some patience, you can attract hummingbirds to come up close by:
- Planting flowers they like to feed on
- Putting up feeders with sugar water near flowers
- Standing still and quiet near flowers
- Wearing bright colors to catch their attention
Hummingbirds are bold and will hover right in front of your face. But they can also be easily startled, so move slowly and let them get comfortable around you. With a little effort, you can get hummingbirds to come within inches of you while feeding.
Do Hummingbirds Get Attracted to People?
Yes, hummingbirds are naturally very curious, especially about anything new or unusual in their environment. Here are some key reasons hummingbirds will investigate and approach people:
- They are attracted to bright colors and patterns that stand out, including clothing.
- They will explore new objects like feeders, flowers, and gardens.
- They are social and may be interested in observers near food sources.
- They can get used to regular visitors who don’t pose a threat.
Hummingbirds have excellent vision and are always on high alert for both food sources and potential predators. When something catches their attention, they will zip over for a closer look. This includes people standing or sitting near flowers or feeders. With some patience, you can pique their curiosity enough to bring them in close.
Bright Colors and Patterns
Hummingbirds zero in on brightly colored flowers to find nectar, so they are naturally attracted to vivid colors and distinct patterns. Wearing floral prints, bright red, oranges, pinks, or other colors will catch their eye and interest them enough to fly closer. Solid block colors also stand out. Avoid wearing camouflage prints or muted earth tones if you want to get a hummingbird’s attention.
New Feeders and Flowers
Hummingbirds regularly patrol their habitat for new flower blooms and feeder setups. When you put out a new feeder or plant new flowers in their territory, the flash of color and novelty will interest them. Especially with feeders, hummingbirds may do quick fly-bys to inspect anything new. If you sit quietly near the novel food source, they will become bolder and come in for a closer look.
Curiosity About People Near Food
Hummingbirds are very social creatures, despite their small size. They do not see stationary people as threats, and may be curious about a new visitor in their habitat, particularly near a food source. The opportunity to watch people up close from a safe hover is appealing. With repeated exposure without harm, they will begin to associate human observers with a safe source of food.
Getting Accustomed to Regular Visitors
Hummingbirds have excellent memories and will remember kind humans who regularly visit them or provide food. By visiting a garden or feeder area frequently without making sudden movements, you can get hummingbirds accustomed to your presence. They will learn you are not a threat, and may even look forward to your visits if you provide sugar water. With time and consistency, the hummingbirds may eagerly fly right up to you looking for a handout.
Do Hummingbirds Like Being Around People?
Hummingbirds are intelligent, social birds that become comfortable around regular human visitors who do not pose a threat. Here are some signs that hummingbirds actively enjoy and seek out human company:
- They hover very close to people’s faces.
- They watch observers intently and fly up to inspect them.
- They associate kind humans with food and shelter.
- They remember and respond to familiar visitors.
- They may chirp, squeak, or display to get attention.
While independent and skittish at first, hummingbirds become quite bold and interactive once they determine specific people are not risky. They love novelty and attention and have been known to regularly greet favorite humans during nectar feeding like tiny feathered puppies! With time and trust, you can have delightful close encounters with these petite powerhouses.
Getting Up Close to People
Once comfortable, hummingbirds will hover immediately in front of human faces, coming within inches to look people right in the eyes. They are naturally investigative and attracted to unusual stimuli, including watching people up close while protected by their ability to quickly zip away. This shows they feel safe enough to indulge their curiosity about strange, giant creatures making odd noises at them.
Watching People Intently
Hummingbirds carefully observe any activity around their habitat, and people are no exception. Once they understand humans are not predators, they will watch your every move with great intensity. How they react – getting closer or fleeing – depends on your behavior, so move slowly and calmly. Their focused attention indicates they find you interesting and want to see what you will do next.
Returning to Reliable Food Sources
Hummingbirds never forget a quality food source, and that includes dependable humans. If you regularly fill feeders or plant preferred flowers, they will remember your generosity. The appearance of “their” human means appetizing nectar, so they are eager to visit once they associate you with sugar water rewards. They preference known providers and may ignore newcomers.
Remembering Kind People
Studies show hummingbirds can remember exact individuals, even after months apart. If you make a point of sitting calmly and letting them approach you while feeding, they will remember your face and kindness. The next season, “your” hummingbirds will be excited to see you again and waste no time zipping over to say hello. Their excellent recall helps them identify reliable friends.
Attention-Seeking Displays
Once comfortable with specific people, hummingbirds may perform dramatic display flights, chirping, and hovering to demand your attention when they are hungry. They have learned these behaviors summon their obedient human servants with treats. They will focus intently on you until you produce the desired nectar, proving they not only recognize individual people, but have them well-trained too!
How to Get Hummingbirds to Come Up to You
With a little strategic effort, you can get hummingbirds to overcome their natural wariness and come right up to you seeking interaction. Here are some tips:
Set up a Feeder
Nothing brings hummingbirds in close like a feeder full of sweet liquid nectar or sugar water. Choose a style they can access easily and replenish it regularly. Sit by the feeder and let them get used to your presence. They will start to associate you with the yummy payoff.
Plant Their Favorite Flowers
Research flowers that attract hummingbirds in your region, and plant them in beds, borders, or containers where you want to interact with them. Include nectar-rich annuals like petunias, zinnias, and nasturtiums that produce flowers all season. Sit among the blossoms and wait patiently.
Use Strategic Color
Hummingbirds zoom in on specific colors including red, orange, pink, purple, and yellow. Wear clothing in one of these hues to grab their attention and interest. Solid bright patterns work better than busy prints.
Limit Sudden Movements
Hummingbirds startle easily, so move in slow motion and limit gestures. Sit very still in their preferred spots and let them come to you. Any quick movements will scare them off, so be calm and patient. Eventually curiosity overrides fear.
Provide Perches
Hummingbirds get tired too! Providing small leafy branches or even clothespins near key observation points gives them a spot to pause and check you out up close. This saves their energy and makes them more comfortable settling in around you.
Let Them Lead Interactions
Don’t try to touch or chase hummingbirds. Allow them to choose the pace and proximity of your encounters. If you stay quiet and gentle, they will eventually lose inhibition and come buzz you fearlessly. Getting too grabby can ruin all your hard work, so let them take the lead.
Be Patient
Gaining a hummingbird’s trust takes time and consistency as they observe you are not a threat. Spend time sitting quietly everyday allowing them to overcome their natural wariness. With persistence, they will seek you out and even wait eagerly for your arrival.
Tactic | How It Works |
---|---|
Feeders | Associates you with food rewards |
Flowers | Draws them close seeking nectar |
Color | Gets their visual attention |
Stillness | Lets them overcome fear |
Perches | Gives them a rest spot near you |
Patience | Earns their trust over time |
What is the Best Way to Get a Hummingbird to Land on You?
Hummingbirds are naturally skittish, so persuading one to overcome their fight or flight instinct and land on you takes time, consistency, and a very gentle approach:
- Plant or set up a feeder in an area where you can sit quietly for long periods.
- Wear red, pink, orange or other bright, solid colors they find attractive.
- Visit the area and sit extremely still every day, letting them get used to you.
- Gradually extend your hand with palm open and fingers together near flowers or the feeder.
- Never lunge or try to grab at them, stay calm and let them choose to approach.
- Offer additional perches like clips or branches so they have a landing spot.
- Wait patiently, it may takes weeks or months for them to land on you.
- Once they do, freeze and enjoy the special moment!
The key is taking it very slowwwwly and not pressuring or scaring them. With consistent gentle exposure, the hummingbird will eventually voluntarily land on your fingers, hand or arm. But you have to earn their trust through patience and sitting still like a flower or feeder. It’s well worth the wait to have those tiny soft feet grip your skin!
Appealing Setup
You need to create an enticing area the hummingbirds already want to frequent, centered around their basic needs of food and safety. Having feeding stations or flowers there gives them a reason to visit while you quietly wait.
Inviting Colors
Solid bright colors are like a landing flag for hummingbirds. Wear these hues in shirts, hats, or gloves to attract their attention and give them an obvious place to land. Red and orange work especially well.
Establish Trust
Never rush the process or make sudden grabs at hummingbirds. Each exposure where they see you are harmless builds vital trust. Over time, they label you an associative part of the feeding location versus a predatory threat.
Provide Extra Landing Spots
Giving hummingbirds little perches or clips near you provides an intermediate step between approaching closely and actually landing on you. With these hop-off points, they can pause and scope you out in detail before committing.
Let the Hummingbird Decide
You can’t force interaction – the hummingbird has to choose it. Staying calm and consistent leaves space for their curiosity about you to overcome instinctive fear. Given freedom and time, they will make contact on their own terms.
Conclusion
Hummingbirds are naturally drawn to people due to their curious and social natures, especially once they associate kind humans with food rewards and lack of danger. With strategic use of bright colors, flowers, feeders, perches and patience, you can create enticing opportunities for hummingbirds to overcome wariness and come right up to you seeking interaction. While it takes time and consistency, the experience of having these energetic miniature birds trust you enough to land on your hand is incredibly special. So grab your red shirt, make some sugar water, and settle down quietly in the garden to let the hummingbirds come to you!