Hummingbirds are recognized for their lightning-fast flight and love of sweet liquids, but their diet is far more complex than simple sugar water. These tiny birds have the highest mass-specific metabolic rate of any warm-blooded animal, demanding a constant and varied intake of nutrients to sustain their energetic lifestyle. While they are known as nectivores, up to 90% of their diet is comprised of sugary fluid, but the remaining portion is necessary for survival.
The Truth About Ants in the Hummingbird Diet
Hummingbirds do consume ants, though they are typically not a preferred or primary food source, but rather an incidental meal. When foraging, a hummingbird may snap up a small ant found crawling on a flower petal while seeking nectar, or accidentally ingest one that has fallen into a feeder. This opportunistic consumption is usually limited to small, soft-bodied individuals that are easy to swallow whole.
The hard exoskeletons of many ant species are difficult for a hummingbird’s digestive system to process efficiently. In large quantities, the indigestible chitin can cause complications. The presence of ants in a nectar feeder often deters a hummingbird from drinking, though some species, such as flying ants, may be actively hunted when available.
Why Hummingbirds Need Protein
Nectar is an efficient fuel source, providing the simple carbohydrates necessary to power the hummingbird’s rapid wingbeats and high-energy existence. However, floral nectar contains only trace amounts of protein and lacks the other compounds necessary for growth and repair. The insect portion of their diet is the exclusive source of protein, fats, and amino acids.
These nitrogen-rich compounds maintain muscle mass and repair tissue damage from intense daily activity. Protein is also required for producing new feathers during molting. For female hummingbirds, a high-protein insect diet is necessary for producing eggs and raising young, as chicks require a diet composed almost entirely of soft-bodied insects for rapid development.
Favorite Insect Prey and Hunting Techniques
The majority of a hummingbird’s insect intake is composed of small, soft-bodied arthropods like gnats, fruit flies, aphids, weevils, and mosquitos. Spiders are also a favored prey item, providing a concentrated source of protein and fat. A single adult hummingbird may consume dozens, or even hundreds, of these small invertebrates daily to maintain a balanced diet.
Hummingbirds employ two primary foraging strategies to secure this protein-rich prey. The first is called “hawking,” where the bird catches flying insects directly out of the air. This often involves the bird perching and then darting out to snatch a passing bug before returning to its lookout point, a technique known as “sally-hawking.”
The second method is “gleaning,” which involves plucking stationary insects or spiders from surfaces. A hummingbird may hover in front of a leaf or a flower to snatch an aphid, described as “hover-gleaning.” They also inspect tree bark and spiderwebs, often plucking a spider or an insect already caught in the sticky silk.
The Critical Role of Nectar
Despite the importance of insects for protein, nectar remains the primary energy source, making up the vast majority of the bird’s caloric intake. The high sucrose content of floral nectar provides immediate, easily digestible fuel that sustains the bird’s metabolism, which is roughly 100 times faster than an elephant’s. A hummingbird may consume between 1.5 and 3 times its body weight in nectar and insects every day.
This immense caloric need drives them to visit hundreds, sometimes thousands, of flowers daily, lapping up the sugary fluid with their specialized tongues. Their high-speed lifestyle means they are constantly on the verge of starvation, needing to feed every 10 to 15 minutes while active. Artificial feeders, when properly maintained with a simple sugar-water solution, serve as supplemental sources of carbohydrate fuel, helping the birds quickly recharge their energy reserves.