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Hummingbird feeder fluid level question (1 Viewer)

nopeda

New member
Hi,

Lately I've been wondering if sometimes the fluid level in the feeder might get low enough that the birds have trouble or can't reach it. I change feeders and fluid twice each week and clean out all signs of mildew and taste the sugar water so I know it's not fermenting in that time period. What I'm wondering is if the level in the base of the feeder can get low enough that the birds can't reach it. Out of concern that it might after dark when the birds have gone I've been tipping the feeders until bubbles rise up in the fluid and after that until a bit of fluid drips out of the feeding ports. Is that something we should do, or is it really not a concern because there's always enough fluid in the base of the feeder that the birds can reach it?

Thank you for any input about this!
David
 
Hi David, and welcome to the forum! Sorry you haven't gotten an answer or reply yet. The hummingbirds tongue is actually quite a bit longer than we usually think it is. The tongue forks at the back of the "throat" and continues on around the skull. The hummers can usually reach the base of a feeder, unless it is poorly designed. The tongue is designed to allow the birds to drink hector from some vey deep flowers, so your feeder should present no problems.
 
I agree with Lisa Here's a couple photos showing the tongue, although it is longer than we can see.
 

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I'm curious what you're trying to accomplish by tilting the feeders. That won't raise the water level.

If the level of fluid looks very low, you should fill it up. Not because it's too hard for birds to reach - I've never seen a feeder that badly designed - but because they might drink all the remaining fluid before you have a chance to attend to it the next morning.

(Do continue to thoroughly wash the feeder every few days to keep the mold at bay.)
 
Haven't been to this forum in quite some time, so we'll have to see if I can relearn how to post a photo... but, yes, hummers' tongue are insanely long, and they can reach well into a feeder to get the "juice". Some birds will only stick the top of their beaks or just their tongue into a port, others will shove their beaks in deeply, but I don't think that you need to worry about trying to keep the level of nectar in the well up by forcing out air bubbles. They can reach the juice, no matter how low the level is in the well of the feeder. During the past few weeks, I have had the hummers literally drink feeders dry in just one day!
Ah, there the photo is. This is the current juvenile Anna's Guardian of one of my feeders after a visit to the feeder.
 

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