BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tz'unun" data-source="post: 1572209" data-attributes="member: 14142">pshute, there are four basic problems:<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The red liquid is undeniably attractive both to hummingbirds (though not necessarily more so than red on the outside of the feeder) and to people. There are informal studies that suggest that high concentrations of dye make the solution less palatable to hummingbirds, but the initial attraction is what impresses the human consumer.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Use of dye became entrenched decades ago, when hummingbird feeders were often homemade and had little or no red on the outside, and some people still believe it's an essential part of the recipe even for homemade sugar water (I used to believe it myself).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Some manufacturers and retailers would like to get their customers' money every week instead of once every few years for a new feeder, so they market "instant nectar" products very aggressively.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Many people think something they have to buy must be better than something they make at home.</li> </ol>Members of the hummingbird community in the U.S. and Canada have been working for many years to raise awareness that dyes are unnatural, unnecessary, and potentially harmful to hummingbirds. Manufacturers have responded by offering "lite" and colorless versions (basically just very expensive boxes of sugar) and even some with natural colorants, but the original bright red, artificially colored formulas are still very popular. I've discussed these issues with a number of manufacturers and retailers, and the bottom line is that a product indistinguishable from homemade sugar water just isn't as appealing to customers as a bright red liquid. There's a growing international movement to ban artificial food colors, but failing that our best hope may be to use the facts of hummingbird biology plus research showing harm to lab animals at high intake rates to make the case that artificial colorants in products intended for hummingbird consumption violate the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Either way, it would force the manufacturers to switch to naturally derived colorants such as fruit and vegetable extracts.</blockquote>

Verification