Hummingbirds hover to feeders this summer

As the hummingbird numbers really begin to increase at the feeders, I’ve been receiving both questions and comments from readers. Probably the most common query is something to the effect that this species seems incapable of “sharing nice.” Generally speaking, this is certainly an accurate observation. Hummingbirds are well known for their feisty dispositions and, in fact, in Aztec art this tiny creature is often depicted as the god of war.

A great part of their aggressiveness is due to the evolution of their breeding behavior. Unlike many species, in which the male and female cooperate to raise their young, hummingbirds are polygamous. The males attract females to their territory to mate and must constantly be on guard against all other male interlopers. The females select the birds most capable of guarding and protecting their chosen site.

After breeding, the female chooses another area in which she will construct a nest, incubate the eggs, and care for her offspring. Instinctively she realizes that if she selects a “polite, mild-mannered” individual, then the chances of her genes being passed on to succeeding generations are exceedingly slim. In other words, there are great biological rewards for flashy plumage and aggressive behavior.

One reader, Edith Poindexter, from Long Island, has had some success in simply moving the hummingbird feeder away from a territory that had been guarded. She was quite lucky because that has never worked for me. Usually if I relocate a feeder, the dominant hummingbird responds by enlarging the area of his territory.

The only strategy that I’ve ever found that works is to dramatically increase the number of feeders. If you simply add one or two more, the bird will try to keep everyone off of them all. At my house by early August I usually have between six to eight feeders on the deck. It is simply not possible for one bird to monitor all of those stations and once the dominant bird realizes that it can’t control the situation, the fighting decreases. I have counted as many as 20 hummingbirds at one time on my deck.

Incidentally, for those readers who have been wondering why they have so many more females than males at the feeder right now, the answer is that you don’t. All of the young, who by this time are the same size as the adults, look like females. The juveniles, who were hatched this year, will not molt into their breeding plumage until late winter when they are almost ready to leave the wintering grounds in Central America. Enjoy the activity at the hummingbird feeders for the next few weeks because by early September the numbers will begin to decrease.    

News and Notes

The Blue Ridge Wildflower Society will sponsor a field trip this Saturday to Paint Bank in Craig County. The group will leave Roanoke at 9 a.m. and return by dinner. Among the flowers that might be found are grass of parnassus, cardinal flower and purple fringed orchid. Although there will be some hiking and you may want to carry boots for slogging in wetlands, many of the flowers can be seen from the road. For more information, call (540) 774-4518 or check the Blue Ridge Wildflower Society website.