Hummingbirds, among the world’s smallest birds, grow incredibly fast from hatching. Their tiny size demands a highly specialized diet for swift development. This unique nutrition ensures their rapid progression from a helpless hatchling to a self-sufficient bird. Understanding their dietary needs is important for appreciating their life cycle and assisting young hummingbirds found.
Natural Diet of Baby Hummingbirds
Baby hummingbirds primarily consume a diet rich in protein, sourced from small insects and spiders. This includes gnats, mosquitoes, aphids, fruit flies, caterpillars, and tiny bees. This protein is essential for their rapid growth, feather development, and strong bone formation. While adult hummingbirds consume nectar, for babies, it serves as an energy supplement, not their main food. Relying solely on sugar water can lead to severe malnutrition and developmental problems, as it lacks necessary protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals.
How Parents Feed Their Young
The mother hummingbird takes sole responsibility for feeding her offspring, as the male provides no parental care. She feeds her young by regurgitating a mixture of partially digested insects and nectar directly into their mouths. The mother inserts her long beak deep into the chick’s throat, delivering a protein-rich “insect smoothie” crucial for their growth.
Feeding is a continuous and demanding task for the mother. She feeds her babies frequently, every 15 to 30 minutes, from dawn until dusk. This high frequency ensures constant nourishment for their fast metabolism and rapid development. The mother feeds her young for nearly a month until they are independent.
What to Do if You Find an Orphaned Baby Hummingbird
If you encounter a baby hummingbird that appears to be orphaned, it is important to first assess the situation carefully. A fledgling, a young bird learning to fly, may be on the ground but still under the care of its mother, who might be nearby. If the bird is fully feathered and active, it may simply be in a normal stage of leaving the nest, and the parent will continue to feed it. However, if the bird is a nestling (not fully feathered), injured, or appears cold and unresponsive, immediate intervention is necessary.
Do not attempt to feed the bird yourself, especially with sugar water or milk. Baby hummingbirds have highly specialized dietary needs that improvised solutions cannot meet. Improper feeding can be harmful or even fatal due to the lack of necessary proteins and nutrients. Their delicate systems require a precise balance of food that only trained professionals can provide.
To help the bird safely while awaiting professional assistance, gently pick it up to avoid injury to its delicate bones. Place the bird in a small container lined with a soft cloth or tissue, and keep it warm, dark, and quiet. Do not peek at the bird frequently, as this can cause additional stress.
The most important step is to immediately contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, local animal control, or a veterinary clinic with wildlife experience. These professionals have the specialized knowledge, equipment, and permits required to provide proper care for baby hummingbirds. Hummingbirds have an incredibly fast metabolism and can decline quickly without appropriate care, so prompt action is essential for their survival.