What makes a GOOD Hummingbird feeder

Consider a basic but cheap plastic hummingbird feeder for now while prioritizing features or functionality to look out for later which must meet your specific requirements.

What makes a GOOD hummingbird feeder is one that can be fully disassembled so it can be properly maintained. Favor a hanger to hang over a single chain to prevent spinning. While multiple port wells with perches will cater to more hummers. Upright 'style feeders are better with any mold being clearly visible.

In laying out my ideas for you in what really makes a good hummingbird feeder, what this resulted in is allowing me to understand what to know about hummingbird feeders with unexpected issues quickly resolved.

Of which I will be sure to reiterate any issues that will arise which can be quickly fixed.

What I can tell you right now is my best type of hummingbird feeder is an upright style feeder - which uses an inverted nectar-filled reservoir - where it slowly filters from the top and downwards via the port wells where hummers poke their bills in to sip homemade nectar.

With that you must really only be setting up a hummingbird feeder that is made to be hung as its the only solution for deterring insects or keeping nuisance animals well off later.

How you'd keep squirrels off an hummingbird feeder is to hang it beneath what is called a squirrel baffle - of which a window or table top feeder won't achieve this basic function.

How to keep ants off your hummingbird feeder will call for an ant moat that must be hung, thus it is once again another vital function of a hanging style hummingbird feeder.

Best ant moats for hummingbird feeders will be hung above the hummingbird feeder on the corresponding bird feeder pole.

What I don't get into much detail about because I don't believe it matters as much, and if it does it will only apply to your personal circumstances if or when they arise - which is feeder size, or should I say nectar capacity which I recommend at 8 ounces to begin with.

With that said a small hummingbird feeder with only three or four port wells will be a good hummingbird feeder for beginner's - along with a hummingbird feeder in red being the best color for a hummingbird feeder in any style which has been reliable thus far.

Fully disassembled to clean

What becomes a serious issue when owning and operating one or a number of hummingbird feeders in your yard, is failing to maintain the feeders properly and regularly.

And remember that because to use a hummingbird feeder is must be cleaned often.

With that in mind I believe the number one function of any hummingbird feeder must be a device that can be fully disassembled.

What I mean by that is all parts that normally are dismantled, can be with ease along with section you didn't expect to pull part.

It will include taking apart the body parts, detaching the hanger or wire for hanging, and popping out the port wells - so therefore all internal and exterior parts can be thoroughly soaked and then clean in boiling hot soapy water.

Hummingbird feeders are prone to developing mold due to continuous damp conditions on the interior - and well as the exterior of the hummingbird feeder body. While this sets up ideal conditions for mold to grow, a cloudy interior is also a sign of maintenance due.

All parts dismantled then, its now possible to clean up what becomes a messy feeder with all parts being carefully being combed through with a brush, one by one at a time to kill off any mold or bacteria.

What else can happen to an unkempt hummingbird feeder is it will leak due to gunk or grime building up within part connections that must remain tightly sealed.

Hung on Hanger over spinning Wire

What makes a good hummingbird feeder to hang, is a feeder that comes with a kind of solid metal or plastic coated metal hanger.

How you hang a hummingbird feeder would be on the wire or hanger a hummingbird feeder commonly comes with, by which its chosen at the point of manufacture.

Its imperative a hummingbird feeder cannot swing or spin around while in use because the single length of chain or wire the feeder is hung off is causing this nuisance, yet unnecessary problem.

Once a chain, when the wire or the rope begins to twist up it will continue to spin until its untangled by you, or in an unlikely scenario it fixes itself.

With that I ask you to only buy a hanging hummingbird feeder that comes with a solid metal hanger over a nuisance single length of chain or wire to hang.

What you hang your hummingbird feeder off must be on a bird feeder pole of course, thus there's no way the spinning can be prevented unless you get it right at the time of purchase.

Incredibly, an hummingbird feeder doesn't have to hang at all, as it can sit on a patio table or railing of a deck, porch or balcony - although I recommend you to utilize hanging style hummingbird feeders only.

Why else you must use a solid metal hanger to prevent spinning is you may want to hang the hummingbird feeder beneath an ant moat. Where an ant moat goes is on the bird feeder pole, then the hummingbird feeder is hung directly below.

Ant moats full of water must be kept still or else you'll continue to experience spillages.

Multiple port wells to invite more Hummers

Do consider the possibility of experiencing a sudden uptake in use of your hummingbird feeder the longer its made available to hummers, thus multiple port wells must be included at the start.

When I refer to port wells I am talking about the small holes in which hummingbirds poke their bills in to sip your homemade sugary water nectar. And below or adjacent to the port wells - also known as feeding ports - would be a perch.

To be prepared for many more hummingbirds kindly being welcomed to your hummingbird feeder, use a feeder with a minimum of four - that is 4 - feeding port wells.

No need to buy additional hummingbird feeders when only a single feeder is needed if its uses many port wells, spread out at a safe distance.

Few port wells made available to what is many hummingbirds frequenting your yard can lead to waiting times or indeed fighting over the feeder. How you stop hummingbird fighting over a feeder is providing more feeding wells, its that simple.

With that, perches can be made available for each port well although it isn't necessary, but can be useful if the feeder can't be kept still where hummers will struggle to feed.

What size hummingbird feeder you decide to buy would coalesce with how many hummers potentially use your feeder in your yard - don't use a too large nectar capacity hummingbird feeder as it requires more effort to clean up and maintain.

Perch for hovering or perching hummingbirds

First I will say to choose a hummingbird feeder with perches is entirely up to you, though it has to be said a hummingbird feeder with perches does have its benefits.

What I can say for certain hummingbird feeder perches really can benefit hummers as they feed - especially in times of an unstable feeder - as this would be a time when hummingbirds do need a perch.

Hummingbirds of course will be seen to hover up to nectar-filled flowers as they feed in-flight, thus you'd want to invite this behavior so you can witness it with your own eyes.

Not making use of a perch-less hummingbird feeder then can lead to less hovering.

Having said that, manufacturer's design their feeders in a way that keeps perches well out of the way if any hummer wishes to hover, rather than rest on a perch.

Resting hummers on a perch is a benefit to them of course; only a perch can then allow a bully to stand his ground while chasing off other hummers wishing to use HIS feeder.

Hummingbirds certainly don't necessarily prefer a feeder with perches although a perch can allow hummers to rest or feed in unsteady conditions.

And while hummers, or even orioles will frequent your hummingbird feeder more or less, remember nectar-filled hummingbird feeder will attract other birds to it like chickadees, woodpeckers and finches to name only a few bird species capable.

With these birds allowed to feed on nectar - remember they are unable to hover - thus a perch can benefit other bird species who wish to feed off a hummingbird feeder.

Upright 'style' Hummingbird feeder

Let me say, personally I do like both the 'upright' and 'flat' style hummingbird feeders, particular as they both have their own benefits.

For one the flat - or should I call it the disc shape - hummingbird feeder can't block the view of feeding hummers due to it being more open with better views.

With an upright style hummingbird feeder - which is an inverted nectar-filled glass or plastic bottle - the downside is any hummingbird feeding behind this bottle will remain out of sight of you, thus you could miss out quite regularly over the course of a day.

My personal top rated hummingbirds feeders can include upright and flat style feeders still, so just buy what you personally prefer in look and functionality - plus additional features included or what can be add-on's later.

Now, what I believe makes a good hummingbird feeder to buy in style over looks is the upright style feeder - meaning there's an upside down reservoir or bottle.

Why that is because as nectar-filled reservoirs begins to lower due to use by hummers, you can simply keep an eye on how much nectar is left.

What is more important than that, is any mold growing can be better spotted in what is a more visible reservoir - yet a dangerous clouded over feeder interior can also be better noticed - over what is a flat reservoir that is commonly made to be obstructed.

Hummingbird feeders continue to be safe to use if only you clean feeders out and maintain them regularly - to which you'd be more aware of issues developing if you can actually see mold growing or the interior of the feeder clouding over.

Anti Bee or Ant feature included

Often people will go out and buy any old, yet cheap plastic hummingbird feeder just to get up and running in know time, which isn't a bid deal really.

But if you plan properly for the near future you can save a lot of time and expense by utilizing what is a bee guard on a hummingbird feeder - or similarly an ant moat pre-installed on the feeder - with no additional accessories required later.

OK so a bee guard on a hummingbird feeder is a kind of replacement, or detachable yellow caps that fit into the feeding port wells where hummers sip the nectar.

Gaps in-between this grid like bee guard - often made available by Perky-Pets - can then allow hummingbirds to poke their bills in to continue to feed on nectar as normal, while bumblebees cannot reach the nectar with it being out of range.

What would make a good hummingbird feeder to buy is a feeder with bee guards pre-installed on each and every port well - or else you can buy them separately later if needed despite it being a bit of a bother.

Bee guards won't get rid of bees on a hummingbird feeder but it will certainly deter bees if they can't feed on the nectar in the end.

If you've bought a hummingbird feeder already with no safeguards in place to keep what is guaranteed to be ants soon swarming your hummingbird feeder; buy an ant moat that hangs above the hummingbird feeder only as its quite an effective but cheap device.

However, what you can do if buying a hummingbird feeder for the first time or if its an upgrade, is to buy a feeder with now an ant moat pre-installed into the actual feeder.

It will be a deep water dish surrounded the hanging bar on top of a flat style hummingbird feeder - yet if its on my favorite upright 'style' hummingbird feeder then the ant moat to fill up with water will be located directly beneath the feeding port wells.

Glass reservoir sustains nectar longer

Its all about personal preference so if a glass or plastic hummingbird feeder is better or worse to you, then go with your gut.

I really do like a made in glass reservoir hummingbird feeder because I just think they look more appealing... it really has nothing to do with being more inviting to birds.

Having said that I wonder if the reflection of glass seen in the air can grab a hummers attention; whereby a plastic hummingbird feeder reservoir doesn't really give off a reflection, let alone any kind of glisten in the sun or light.

How a glass or plastic hummingbird feeder functions is pretty much identical, although a plastic made feeder can be a little more flexible - thus all connections in assembly can be more tightly sealed to prevent leaking.

Whereby when filling a glass hummingbird feeder the seal isn't as good as plastic but will be if you keep the parts that must remain sealed clear of any visible gunk or grime, of which regular maintenance is a priority.

While plastic hummingbird feeders have their benefits let's not forget for us, people - the water or liquid we drink out of plastic bottles can begin to taste the same as plastic.

In which this can be the same with hummingbird feeders although there's a chance microplastic could bleed into the nectar supply without you realizing it.

I'll leave you with glass plus made in metal hummingbird feeders can last far longer in an exterior environment - while plastic in time will begin to lose shape as its warps - plus the weathering effect would be unavoidable.

Flat bottom to stand upright

I am now being a bit to picky when it comes to what makes a good hummingbird feeder, and while not important this can have many benefits.

What you do when dismantling, cleaning, upgrading with accessories - or generally maintaining a hummingbird feeder - is that you would place it on a tabletop or on the ground to carry out the work that's needed.

Now imagine doing this work when the hummingbird feeder isn't made to stand up.

And believe me as you'd need a hummingbird feeder to stand up right when filling it up with nectar - or else you'd need two hands of which you won't have available to complete the task in hand.

Solution to that is choosing a hummingbird feeder that has a flat bottom to stand up.

I did say I was being picky, but believe me a hummingbird feeder with this small yet common feature often included already can save you a lot of bother.

Best way to clean a hummingbird feeder is in a soapy bath while allowing it to dry in an upright standing position - the right way up or upside down - which can allow soapy water to drain out where it won't if the feeder can only be laid on its side.

With all that you may sometimes want to experiment by re-locating what is an exclusive hanging style hummingbird feeder. It doesn't have to be with a flat bottom as a feeder can be put on a level surface anywhere in the yard.

Level to prevent nectar filtering through port wells while preventing the feeder slipping.

While its possible to stick a hummingbird feeder on a window, then of course you can balance your hummingbird feeder on an outdoor garden table if that is what you want to do - and it can be worth it if you end up getting a close up view of feeding hummers.

To summarize up

Lots to consider when knowing what makes a good hummingbird feeder in design and functionality.

But of course it must remain practical for your backyard hummingbirds with unlimited access when feeding as perching or hovering hummingbirds do.

Before I go on my ideas for what makes a good feeder for hummingbirds is in reference to the upright - or upside down nectar-filled reservoir - over a flat or disc shape feeder.

Reasons being an upright reservoir can allow you to keep an eye on proceedings. What that means is you can see better if mold is developing or if its clouding over.

Begin by prioritizing what can be a fully disassembled hummingbird feeder, so it can be properly cleaned out of mold and bacteria.

Choose a feeder that must be hung of course but be sure it uses a solid metal hanger over a single length of wire or a chain that can be prone to twisting - which would lead to the hummingbird feeder continuously spinning out of control.

Favor multiple port wells so there's no upgrade needed later. Few hummers can use a nectar-filled feeder at the beginning while the longer its used - more hummingbirds are sure to show up to feed given time.

Adjacent to all port wells can be a perch which I recommend because then you cater to hummers who prefer to perch to feed or rest - while hovering hummingbirds won't be obstructed in their feeding behavior so can carry on as normal.

Good hummingbird feeders will have an ant moat pre-installed if you expect an insect infestation - along with a hummingbird feeder that comes with bee guards fixed in-place.

I like a glass reservoir hummingbird feeder the best although a plastic nectar-filled reservoir can be just as effective - yet better as plastic forms a tighter seal to prevent leakages.

With all that said consider any style of hummingbird feeder with a flat exterior base so you can stand it upright to clean, maintain, to add accessories if needed while easily filling up with nectar if it can stand up free-hand.

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