Food › Nectar

What birds eat nectar?

Of the 118 real birds in our field guide, 9 come to feeders for nectar: Baltimore Oriole, Blue-gray Tanager, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Rainbow Lorikeet, Noisy Miner, Gila Woodpecker, Verdin and Costa's Hummingbird and more.

In North American yards and woods: Baltimore Oriole, Gila Woodpecker, Verdin, Costa's Hummingbird and Anna's Hummingbird.

It is the first choice of Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Rainbow Lorikeet, Noisy Miner, Verdin, Costa's Hummingbird and Anna's Hummingbird: when several foods are out, they go for this one.

About nectar

Nectar is sugar water that stands in for the nectar of flowers. It feeds hummingbirds, orioles and, around the world, honeyeaters, lorikeets and sunbirds.

Mix one part plain white sugar with four parts water. Use no red dye, no honey and no brown sugar. Hang it in a nectar feeder in partial shade.

In the game, nectar goes in the nectar feeder.

Backyard Eastern North America

Baltimore OrioleBackyard

Also: fruit.

Northwest forest Pacific Northwest, Washington State

Anna's HummingbirdNorthwest forest

First choice. Only this food.

Desert scrub Sonoran Desert, Arizona and Mexico

Gila WoodpeckerDesert scrub

Also: fruit, suet, peanuts.

VerdinDesert scrub

First choice. Only this food.

Costa's HummingbirdDesert scrub

First choice. Only this food.

Tropical rainforest Central and South America

Blue-gray TanagerTropical rainforest

Also: fruit.

Rufous-tailed HummingbirdTropical rainforest

First choice. Only this food.

Australian bush Eastern Australia, among gum trees

Rainbow LorikeetAustralian bush

First choice. Also: fruit.

Noisy MinerAustralian bush

First choice. Also: fruit.

Other foods

Sunflower seed (39)Nyjer seed (3)Millet (24)Peanuts (18)Suet (21)Fruit (25)Mealworms (20)