by Craig Eddy
What the hey? You just hung your Humming Bird feeder and all of a sudden it's like World War Three has broken out just outside the kitchen. Even though there are over three hundred known types of Humming Birds in the world we only have two types in Northern California. Rufous and Anna's are the types you see here and they aren't exactly the most peaceful birds. They do get very aggessive around food sources and during spring their mating behavior is exactly the same as their aggressive mode. The Rufous is the copper colored one and seems to be the most aggressive. One male will try and hoard the whole feeder to himself. Humming bird mating is all of about 30 seconds once a year.
No wonder they seem so angry all the time! The green colored Hummers are the Anna's and they seem more willing to let a crowd settle in at the feeder. Humming birds actually eat way more insects than nectar. They have been known to actually kill bees that are buzzing around and annoying them. That long beak serves as a very effective weapon. In other parts of the world there are humming birds that are as big as Stellar Jays. Some have beaks 8 inches long and some have elegant long tail feathers. Our local little birds weigh less than three paper clips. Their bones are hollow. It would take 150 of them to weigh in at one pound. Just remember folks if you are going to put out feeders you must clean them with vinegar to kill any mold that is forming. If mold gets into the feeder it can kill the birds. Don't use soap in cleaning the feeders, it too can kill them. Happy Humming Bird watching.
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