The ruby throated hummingbird is the only species that nests in Indiana. They're also known for their aggression.
(Max Rebolledo/WTIU )
This is the time of year when hummingbirds in south central Indiana are most active. The birds migrate here from Central America and usually stick around through the end of summer.
If you have a feeder you’ve likely seen the acrobatics the birds perform when there’s more than one around… but are the hummingbirds playing – or fighting?
Alex Georgescu bought a hummingbird feeder last summer after moving to Bloomington.
“In 15 minutes, I was just still, sitting here and hummingbirds started popping up,” Georgescu said. “You know, first was one, then multiple, and they would fight and cause all sorts of drama.”
A hummingbird visiting a feeder at Georgescu's home in Bloomington. (Courtesy of Alex Georgescu)
The hummingbirds zip and dart around in the air. Sometimes they’ll chase each other, dive, and make loud noises to try to scare each other off. They usually don’t fight to kill, but the fights can look violent.
“I kind of think of them as like flying medieval knights, you know, with the lance, but instead of a lance, they kind of use their beak,” Georgescu said.
Alex Georgescu at his home in Bloomington. (Devan Ridgway/WTIU)
The hummingbirds are defending their territory.
Ruby throated hummingbirds are the only species that nests in Indiana. They’re known to be aggressive when challenged at a feeder.
“Hummingbirds are really territorial,” said Ken Keffer, co-owner of Wildbirds Unlimited in Bloomington. “They've got that good patch of food, they're going to defend it, and so they will kind of chase each other out.”
A hummingbird’s day usually revolves around finding something to eat.
“Hummingbirds are living on the edge in terms of the energy they need to survive hour by hour,” said Alex Jahn, a research scientist at Indiana University. “Their very high metabolic rates at that small size requires them to constantly search for food.”
Ruby throated hummingbirds are notoriously aggressive at the feeder. (Max Rebolledo/WTIU)
Hummingbirds are usually no larger than 3 to 4 inches long and weigh less than an ounce. The unique morphology of their body allows them to move in every direction.
“The joint structure, the bone and muscles, and structure around the shoulder especially allows them to do things that a lot of other birds can't do,” Jahn said.
They can stop in the air instantly or start hovering. With precision they can fly up or down. Their wings flap over 50 times per second.
The ruby-throated hummingbird is the smallest bird in Indiana at only 3 to 4 inches long. (Lucinda Larnach/WTIU)
Hummingbirds’ natural food sources include nectar, live insects, and tree sap.
The shape of their long, curved beak helps them to drink nectar from tubular flowers. They’re especially drawn to colorful ones, in reds, oranges, and pinks.
There’s a finite amount though, so hummingbirds are used to sugar water. The recipe is four parts water to one part sugar. Dye isn’t necessary to attract the birds, and it could make them sick. The birds are naturally attracted to the colors of feeders.
“Having a nice native plant area where you have a lot of insect activity can really help them and they'll eat those insects from the garden too,” Keffer said. “That's another great way to boost your little hummingbird activity.”
Ken Keffer co-owns Wild Birds Unlimited in Bloomington with Heather Ray. (Lucinda Larnach/WTIU)
The key to keeping them from fighting is to try to keep them separate. Male hummingbirds tend to perch nearby and keep an eye on their food supply.
“A lot of people can keep those multiple feeders separate, maybe one to the backyard, one of the front yard, to give a little visual separation to help,” Keffer said. “But yeah, it's just the nature of hummingbirds.”
From March to August, male hummingbirds are looking for a mate. They might look like they're fighting, but in these cases the birds are pulling out all the stops to impress the females.
“When male Hummingbirds are doing their territorial displays, they'll often like fly like 50 feet up in the air and do these big U-shaped flights and they'll dive back and forth to kind of help attract a mate,” Keffer said.
Researchers who study hummingbird behavior discovered males nose dive towards females at speeds of 40 to 50 miles per hour.
They’ll belt out high pitched calls and the wind going through their tail feathers will create a whistle. You’ll notice the birds always dive towards the sun – this is to make sure their feathers are in the best light. It all takes just 300 milliseconds, the time it takes to blink.
Hummingbird season lasts through October, when most will migrate south over the Gulf of Mexico.
Georgescu, a chemistry professor, incorporates hummingbirds’ colorful feathers into his lessons.
Researchers looked at the feathers under a microscope and saw layers of millions of flat melanosomes filled with air pockets that reflect and absorb light.
The bright colors on their feathers are “structural colors” – the color you see is actually a reflection of light, rather than pigment in their feathers. This is what gives them an iridescent appearance.
“That has to do with different distances and their relative very small distances and the wavelength of light,” Georgescu said. “They have structure in their feathers that makes you see one particular color very brightly.”
Hummingbirds will chase and dive to try to scare off other birds from its nectar. (Max Rebolledo/WTIU)
Georgescu did add multiple feeders to his back yard to try to keep the peace. He says it has helped reduce the conflicts.
He now has both birdseed feeders and hummingbird feeders, and said the hummingbirds tend to come one at a time when other birds are around.
The feeders require a lot of upkeep – they should be cleaned and nectar should be changed every few days to keep the birds from getting sick. Sugar water can mold or ferment in just a few days and turn to toxic alcohol.
While they may be a little extra work to take care of, Keffer said hummingbird feeders are a great way to connect with nature in your backyard.
“Watching nature just for a few minutes a day can really just help get rid of stress,” Keffer said. “If we ever feel this when we go outside, right, you just feel better, you're happier, you can have less stress, you're calm, your heart rate goes down.”
