Hummingbirds have an astonishingly high metabolism, requiring them to feed almost constantly on high-energy food sources, primarily flower nectar. Their survival depends on efficiently locating these sources. This pursuit of sugar has resulted in highly specialized visual systems, linking their foraging success to their ability to detect specific colors. Understanding which colors they ignore requires exploring how these unique creatures perceive the world.
Hummingbird Vision: Seeing Beyond Human Perception
Humans are known as trichromats, possessing three types of cone cells in the retina sensitive to red, green, and blue light. Hummingbirds, along with most other bird species, are tetrachromats because they have a fourth cone cell type that extends their vision into the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum.
This additional photoreceptor allows them to perceive a much broader range of colors than humans, including those invisible to the human eye. They can see “non-spectral” colors, which are combinations of light wavelengths from widely separated parts of the spectrum. For instance, hummingbirds can discriminate between combinations like UV+Green, UV+Red, and UV+Yellow.
This advanced color discrimination is a finely tuned tool for locating nectar. Their ability to perceive UV light helps them distinguish between flowers that appear identical to human observers. The world, including potential food sources, is interpreted through a complex, four-dimensional color space that guides their foraging decisions.
Establishing Color Preference
Hummingbirds are strongly drawn to colors that reliably signal the presence of high-quality nectar sources in nature. Their primary attraction is to the red-to-yellow spectrum, including shades like orange and hot pink. These colors are frequently associated with tubular flowers that co-evolved specifically for bird pollination, often containing higher concentrations of sucrose.
This preference is largely innate, allowing young hummingbirds to quickly identify rewarding flowers without extensive trial and error. The deep reds and oranges of flowering plants act as an immediate visual cue, advertising a substantial energy reward. This natural association ensures the foraging efficiency required for an animal with demanding energy needs.
The colors hummingbirds seek out also serve to reduce competition with insects. Bees, for example, do not see red well, meaning red flowers are often exclusively pollinated by birds. By prioritizing these warmer colors, hummingbirds concentrate their efforts on flowers less likely to have been depleted by insects, maximizing their foraging success.
Colors Hummingbirds Generally Ignore
When considering what colors hummingbirds “do not like,” it is more accurate to describe them as colors they are indifferent to. They tend to ignore colors that do not reliably signal a worthwhile energy source, or those associated with competition or camouflage.
Green is a color hummingbirds often bypass since it is the predominant color of foliage and indicates a lack of nectar. While they see green clearly, an expanse of green provides no specific visual contrast to direct them toward a flower. Their visual system is adapted to detect colors that stand out against the backdrop of leaves, making green an inefficient signal for food.
Blue and purple hues are less attractive because flowers in the cooler spectrum often contain lower sugar concentrations compared to red and orange blooms. Blue is more commonly associated with insect-pollinated plants, although some blue flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds. This association means the blue spectrum is lower on the priority list when a hummingbird is scanning for a quick meal.
White flowers are also frequently ignored because they are typically pollinated by nocturnal insects, such as moths. A large white object may not register as a potential food source for a diurnal bird like the hummingbird. These colors are disregarded due to their low historical association with the high-energy fuel these birds require.
Applying Color Knowledge to Feeders and Gardens
The knowledge of hummingbird color preference can be practically applied to make gardens and feeding stations more attractive. To draw attention, feeders should incorporate red accents, such as red ports or feeder bases. This color acts as the initial beacon, catching the eye of a passing hummingbird.
While red is highly attractive on the feeder hardware, the sugar water itself should remain clear. Adding red dye to the nectar is unnecessary and potentially harmful to the birds. The bird’s attraction is to the color of the structure, not the liquid inside.
In the garden, focusing on plants with tubular shapes and warm colors like scarlet, vermillion, and deep orange will yield the best results. Planting flowers in large groups, known as drifts, provides a mass of color that is more easily spotted by a foraging hummingbird. Avoiding large expanses of blue or white garden decorations near a feeder can help minimize visual confusion and maintain focus on the rewarding red accents.