This Red Ingredient May Be Safe To Add To Hummingbird Nectar, But Should You?

Have you ever noticed that many hummingbird feeders are bright red? Have you ever wondered why? Well, science indicates that the vibrant color attracts hummingbirds, which is also likely why nectars have long been colored red. Although the little birds have a penchant for red, it has been less obvious whether or not their food needs to be dyed that way to get their attention. So, we consulted with Dr. Christopher J. Clark of the Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology department at the University of California Riverside. 

It makes sense that the color is added to feeder nectar. After all, the birds are drawn to red as an indicator of food. "Many hummingbird-pollinated flowers, such as Salvia, Fuchsia, or Ipomopsis, are red," Clark said. "Hummingbirds learn to associate red with food. Since hummingbirds are always on the lookout for new food sources, they investigate red objects to see if they are flowers."

In an exclusive interview with House Digest, the ornithologist explained that the red color additive carmine isn't necessarily harmful to hummingbirds. However, "to my knowledge, there is no actual research on whether or not carmine is safe for hummingbirds," he added. Even without research to fully back it up, though, Clark still says he would not add dye to feeder nectar because it simply isn't necessary. 

Although research has not identified carmine as a dangerous substance for hummingbirds, ornithologist Dr. Christopher J. Clark still doesn't recommend using it in feeders. That's largely because the birds don't care what color the nectar is. "There are no flowers that have red nectar," he explained in an exclusive interview with House Digest. "Hummingbirds do not look at the color of nectar that they drink, when deciding to drink. They look at the petals of the flower; that's the plastic or glass part of your hummingbird feeder. It is not known whether any red additive is bad for the birds, but it is absolutely not necessary for the nectar to be red." 

For anyone making their own hummingbird nectar instead of buying it, Clark says there is still zero benefit to dying the liquid red. All you need is tap water and refined white sugar, he explains. That's because those are the nutrients the birds will get from actual flower nectar, Clark added. "They get their nutrition (protein, etc) from eating insects, not from nectar," the ornithologist said. "So there is absolutely no benefit to adding carmine or anything else red to nectar."

Making your own hummingbird nectar is simple. If you make a whole bunch at once, you can even safely store the extra until you need it. Backyard bird lovers should avoid stocking up on store-bought nectar for their feeders. Ornithologist Dr. Christopher J. Clark explains that the stuff you can buy at a store is a rip-off compared to making it yourself. Plus, the store-bought product has added ingredients that the birds don't need. 

 "The nectar sold at hardware stores and the like is a scam, it's just expensive sugar water," Clark told House Digest in an exclusive interview. "Sometimes they're labeled as having other stuff (such as fragrances). These other additives are just a trick to try to get you to [the] buy expensive sugar water. The active ingredient in nectar is sucrose (table sugar), which you can buy a [5 pound] bag at the grocery store for much much cheaper than the 'nectar' for sale at the hardware store."

Clark went on to explain the easiest recipe to consider for your own feeder nectar. You'll need four parts tap water and one part white sugar. Then, you'll heat the water until all the sugar dissolves. Once cooled, you can load up your feeder — just don't forget to thoroughly clean the hummingbird feeder first.