Are Hummingbirds Really Attracted to Red? And Is Dying Their Food Safe?

Hummingbird feeders come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and styles, but virtually every design has one detail in common: the color red. There's good reason for this. Popular belief has long held that hummers are naturally attracted to the color red—but is it true? Sort of. 

Hummingbirds can be drawn to the color red, but research has shown that the preference is learned rather than hard-wired. In other words, the birds quickly discover that red flowers and feeders are reliable sources of high-value nectar, which makes them a priority. However, the discovery itself is part of a complex relationship between hummingbirds and plants known as a "lock and key" mechanism in nature. 

Hummingbirds, like many others birds, have eyes specially equipped to filter for warm hues like red while dulling cool colors like blue. Over millennia, scientists believe certain plants evolved to take advantage of this trait by developing red flowers—along with tubular shapes and richer nectar—to attract the long-beaked, high-speed hoverers, who in turn help the plants reproduce by carrying pollen on their feathers and beaks to many other, genetically distinct flowers. 

This clever adaptation isn't just about attracting hummingbirds, though. In developing long-tubed red flowers, the plants are less likely to be visited by bees, which are predisposed to see blue and, thanks to their short tongues and the flower's shape, have more difficulty reaching the nectar. (In "lock and key" terms, the bees are locked out of the flowers while the hummingbirds, with their red visual filters, long beaks, and ability to hover, have all the keys.) 

Why would a flower want to deter a bee? Researchers believe it might be because bees are less effective pollinators than hummingbirds; a foraging bee eats nectar and pollen, and in flight bees "groom" whatever pollen is left on their body into pollen baskets on their legs for consumption later, limiting the amount of loose pollen they can distribute. 

Still, researchers have shown that the color connection only goes so far. Several studies, including one in 2017,  found that quality, or sugar intensity, of the nectar matters most for attracting hummingbirds. By changing the sugar-density of the nectar in various feeders, researchers were able to show that hummers will eventually gravitate toward whichever source provides the highest energy payout.  
 

Don't Dye Your Sugar Water Red 

As for whether you should color sugar water red, the answer is unequivocally no. Though no scientific studies have been done on artificial dyes and hummingbirds, food coloring has been found to harm other animals and likewise could pose a risk to your hummers. 

Using artificial dyes is also completely unnecessary: Nectar in nature is clear, after all, and as we just covered, research shows that the quality of the nectar matters most anyway. 

If you're worried about the birds finding your feeder, red, yellow, or orange flourishes on the actual feeder should be all you need to grab their attention. To borrow a line from one of the best movies ever: If you put it out, they will come. Eventually. 

Keep your sugar water simple with the recipe below, and remember to regularly clean your feeder to avoid pests. Just be warned: These territorial birds can get quite feisty around feeders, and unlike most birds, they actually pee—a lot. Hey, it's important to know what you're getting into. 
 

How to Make Hummingbird Nectar

Materials:
• 1/4 cup refined white sugar
• 1 cup boiling water
• Bowl
• Spoon

Note: Do not substitute honey, which can promote dangerous fungal growth, or use red food coloring, which can prove harmful to birds. 

Steps:
1. Mix sugar and boiling water until sugar is dissolved. 
2. Cool and fill feeder.
3. Hang up your feeder outside and wait for the hummingbirds to come.