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What’s the best recipe for hummingbird nectar?

Homemade hummingbird nectar is easy to make. Photo by Hui Sim via Birdshare.
Homemade hummingbird nectar is easy to make. Photo by Hui Sim via Birdshare.

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:

The Cornell Lab

All About Birds
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American Kestrel by Blair Dudeck / Macaulay Library