Hummingbird Highlight
By Shannon Donaldson
Compare these two male hummingbirds, both are common in Northwest Montana. Do you see some differences?
You may notice their shiny, iridescent throat feathers first, also called their gorget. Gorget comes from the French word for throat.
Male Rufous Hummingbirds are a rusty brown color with a flashy red-orange gorget.
Male Calliope Hummingbirds are mostly green and have a shimmery magenta gorget.
One good way to get a closer look at these guys is to have a hummingbird feeder at your house. See if you can find their favorite spots to perch and guard “their” feeder. Making your own nectar is easy and fun, the hummingbirds will thank you!
Hummingbird nectar recipe:
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 refined white sugar
- Boil the water, stir in sugar and simmer for a minute or two.
- Allow to cool completely to room temperature.
Tips:
- Clean feeder weekly using 4:1 water to white vinegar and rinse well, cleaning more often in warm weather prevents mold growth.
- Never use red dyed food.
- Only use white sugar, organic sugar contains molasses and its iron content can be harmful to the birds.
- Check out this link for more ways to make your home more inviting to these little guys: https://www.audubon.org/content/how-create-hummingbird-friendly-yard
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