The sugar content of natural flower nectar varies, and is roughly comparable to sugar water mixtures ranging from a quarter to a third cup of sugar per cup of water. During hot, dry weather, when hummingbirds risk dehydration, it’s best to make your mixture no stronger than a quarter cup of sugar per cup of water. But during cold, rainy spells, making the mixture a bit stronger, up to about a third cup of sugar per cup of water, will not hurt your birds and may help them.
More about hummingbirds:
- More on feeding hummingbirds, including the best feeders, feeder placement, and the “real” diet of hummingbirds.
- Should I Use Red Food Coloring In Hummingbird Food?
- Summertime In The United States Of Hummingbirds
- Should I Stop Feeding Birds In Fall So They Can Start Their Migration?
- Explore the hummingbirds of the U.S. and Canada in our All About Birds species guide.
- Learn about the hundreds of hummingbird species south of the border in Birds of the World.
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