How to Attract Ruby-throated Hummingbird to Your Yard
The honest, data-backed way to attract Ruby-throated Hummingbird to your yard — the feeders and food they actually use (nectar), nesting help, and habitat that brings them in.
Want to bring Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) to your yard? Here is the honest, data-backed version — the feeders and food they actually use, whether they will take a nest box, and the habitat that keeps them coming back. Every recommendation is drawn from real bird-science sources (the Cornell Lab, Audubon and their peers), not guesswork.
The best feeders for Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Sugar-water feeders only, mixed 1 part white table sugar to 4 parts water; no red food coloring (unnecessary and best avoided). Sugar water ferments fast in heat, so change it before it clouds. Males aggressively defend feeders, so multiple widely spaced feeders reduce monopolizing.
Feeder styles that work for this bird:
- nectar feeder
Hummingbird feeders
Our take
If you only buy one thing, get a saucer-style feeder — it comes fully apart, so it’s the easiest to keep clean, which matters more than anything else.
Shop by what matters to you
- Saucer / dish feederAnyone who wants to keep it spotless with no fuss (searches Amazon in a new tab)
- Bottle / inverted feederHigh-traffic gardens with lots of hummingbirds (searches Amazon in a new tab)
- See all hummingbird feederBrowse the full range and compare current prices (searches Amazon in a new tab)
What to feed Ruby-throated Hummingbird
The foods this species takes most readily:
- nectar
- sugar water
How to attract Ruby-throated Hummingbird to your yard
Plant red/orange tubular natives (trumpet creeper, cardinal flower, bee-balm, jewelweed, red buckeye, honeysuckle) plus a 1:4 sugar-water feeder; they also glean insects and pull small insects and spiders from spider webs, so an insect-friendly, un-sprayed yard helps. They build a lichen-camouflaged open cup nest 10-40 ft up on a slender descending branch of a deciduous tree.
See it near you
For the full profile — photos, sounds, range and ID — see the Ruby-throated Hummingbird species page. To find where it is being reported right now, use Birds Near You.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best feeder for Ruby-throated Hummingbird?
Sugar-water feeders only, mixed 1 part white table sugar to 4 parts water; no red food coloring (unnecessary and best avoided). Sugar water ferments fast in heat, so change it before it clouds. Males aggressively defend feeders, so multiple widely spaced feeders reduce monopolizing.
What do you feed Ruby-throated Hummingbird?
Ruby-throated Hummingbird readily takes nectar and sugar water.
Will Ruby-throated Hummingbird use a nest box?
No — Ruby-throated Hummingbird is not a cavity nester and will not use a nest box. It builds an open nest, so cover and habitat help more.
