Can you feed hummingbirds in Idaho? The answer is yes! Here are our tips to get the most out of feeding hummingbirds. Be sure to visit us at our Intermountain Bird Observatory hummingbird monitoring station to see these beautiful birds up close!
When to feed hummingbirds in Idaho
The first of our migratory hummingbird species arrive in Idaho in mid April, so be sure to put your hummingbird feeder out by tax day! Look for Calliope and Rufous Hummingbirds, who pass through lower elevations before heading to higher elevation mountain habitats to nest.
Black-chinned Hummingbirds are our lower-elevation hummingbirds, and will nest in desert, urban, and foothills habitats in the Treasure Valley and throughout Idaho.
If you live south of the Snake River Plain, keep your eyes and ears open for Broad-tailed Hummingbirds: the males fly by with a distinctive bell-like trill!
Anna’s Hummingbirds have taken up year-round residence in Idaho (yes, even in the snow!). They are mostly found in urban areas where people hang hummingbird feeders. You can read more on our Winter Hummingbirds page.
The nectar recipe
To feed hummingbirds, fill your feeders with a recipe of 4 parts water to 1 part white sugar. Mix, boil (if using unfiltered tap water), cool and fill!
Cane and beet sugars are both white, and both acceptable. This kind of sugar best resembles the sucrose nectar of flowers.
Don’t use brown or raw sugar, honey, molasses, or anything similar which can harm a hummingbird. Organic sugars that have a brownish tinge have too much iron in them! Pure white sugar is best.
Don’t mix the nectar sweeter than a 4:1 ratio (there is such a thing as too sweet even for a hummingbird – it can be hard on their digestion and can even dehydrate them if there’s not enough fresh water available).
Dos and don’ts
Don’t use nectar with red dye! It’s hard on their kidneys and makes their poop red! The red color on your feeder is enough for a hummingbird to find it.
We recommend this high-perch feeder from Wild Birds Unlimited because it is easy to clean, doesn’t leak, and is all red (which helps deter wasps!). If it is over 80 degrees outside be sure to change your nectar at least every other day.
Hot water and a clean toothbrush works great. If you use soap to clean your hummingbird feeder, make sure to rinse well. A little dash of white vinegar also works great.
Ant problem? Avoid using insecticides near your feeder (both spraying and using ant guards filled with pesticides). Avoid greasy solutions…that sticky substance that traps ants also gets on hummingbird feathers and can mess with their ability to thermoregulate. Water moats above the feeder are great and safe for the birds. Another effective solution is to hang your feeder by thin fishing line…thin enough that it’s hard for the ants to walk down without falling off.
Wasps on your hummingbird feeder? Look for a feeder that’s only red – no yellow! Wasps generally cannot see the color red. Yellow attracts them.
Not just nectar
Did you know that hummingbirds do not survive on sugar and nectar alone? They also need proteins, fats, and vitamins. Their largest source of protein is insects. If you watch hummingbirds near your feeders, you might get to see them do some erratic, zig-zag flying: catching small insects in the air. They will also pluck insects directly off of plants. Some of their favorite “bugs” include small flies and gnats, ants, insect eggs, larva, and even small spiders. Some people report seeing hummingbirds eating dirt, sand, and even campfire ashes too…we think this is possibly how they get certain vitamins and minerals into their system. So the diet of your favorite backyard hummingbird is actually quite complex and varied – they can’t survive on sugar alone.