Helping Injured Hummingbird Drink From a Flower

[shelovesartxo]

No, hummmingbirds do eat insects, dicandonte.

They prey on spiders and whatnot for feeding.

[elizalalala]

It was transferred to another rehabber, so I don't know.

[mcneilscorpionone]

aww.. you are a good person.... i found a injured starling in my back garden the other day. it's doing fine.

[dicandonte]

Hummingbird dont eat insect!!!!!!!!

[elizalalala]

I've witnessed an uninformed person nearly starve a captive hummingbird to death by not providing an insect feed replacement.

From Wikipedia:

"Hummingbirds feed in many small meals, consuming many small invertebrates and up to five times their own body weight in nectar each day."

From the Audubon Society:

"They also eat small insects

and spiders to supplement their sweet diet with protein."

[mkultra2300]

I'm sure he apreciated your help. keep up the good work!

[cherrycola8795]

god i wouldnt b able 2 do that cuz i wouldnt b able 2 give it up. i find birds all the time and dont give em 2 the rehabilitation. Although we only keep em 4 a maximm of 3 days cuz by then they can either fly or in ones case, it only had 1 wing cuz a goose bit off the other and he died. i cried 4 2 days straight basically.

[badparker123]

42 days is a long time to cry.

Next time call the spca. They can help with birds AND birds, ducks, anything that is free in your city or county belong to the city or county so its actually illegal to keep them and let them DIE.

[yangyanghereiam]

well done

[tinyturtle6]

What is the specially formulated nectar made out of?

[elizalalala]

It's called Nektar-Plus, I don't have a bottle handy right now to check the ingredients.

[RachieRAINBOWS]

Awwh, thats really really sweet and kind of you to help those animals in need!

:) i hope the little bird made it

x

[Madguten]

Good work, bro.

Lovely bird.

[owlsoup4]

aww thats really cute!

Good Job!

[Whiteandorange]

poor little fella :(

[nasdin]

humming birds are really loyal to those that helped them... i wished i had one

[fenasbus]

AMAZING, wow.

[ratgreen]

good on ya

[songbirdsofnorthern]

I'm the rehabber at Songbirds of Northern Indiana. We take our Hummers for walks to enjoy flower nectar during their recovery, too. To all you folks at home, please find a rehabilitator if you find an injured Hummingbird. You won't be able to keep it alive on sugar water like you put in outside feeders. Our special nectar costs like crazy. If you have a local rehabber in your area do yourself a favor, volunteer and donate cash. You can't imagine the good you will be doing.

[Cassadine1966]

So did the birdie make it?

[elizalalala]

I transferred it to another rehabber, I don't know.

[valeriazunzun]

Captive hummingbird?

Very sweet and pretty video.

[elizalalala]

No, this bird had an injured wing and was captive only for rehabilitation.

[djstamper1]

This is amazing, I am so glad you found the hummer and are able to help it. My son found one once inside where he worked and he opened the door and it flew out. Deb

[Gellasnowboarder]

Do you get alot of hummingbirds in your facility? I would think if you did, showing the birds flowers like this might help a bit, but then again, I'm just guessing! Nice video~ I also helped birds in a humane society wildlife dept. for a while.

[elizalalala]

Hummingbirds come in somewhat frequently but not as often as most other species. Showing the bird the flower was a brief experiment, normally we keep them quieter and calmer. They eat a specially formulated nectar (it has more nutrients than common feeder nectar.)

[Damamirlo]

Whoa... You must love your job, I envy you! And the Hummingbird is a beautiful thing. But hummingbirds or eagles, it must be great to be able to work helping them.

[MegMerrilies]

That's beautiful - good work you're doing.

[frewtyfrog]

that's really sweet of u 2 do dat

[murukku]

you know, you should check out hok and jaimie's dance of a flower and a hummingbird from the show So You Think You Can Dance. you would probably appreciate it a lot

[diamondgrrl10]

How cool is that! I would love to hand-feed a hummingbird. Good for you!

[dedanaan10]

How very nice of you! Thanks for sharing.

[USAPatriot1]

Hummingbirds, posted yesterday: v=ZGK9-FtWkP4

[creamofcardstv]

Your video clip is great and I've rated it as awesome. Please see my video clip on a parrot animation and some Victorian trading cards of exotic birds such as parrots, paradise bird, toucan, humming bird etc.

[mr5elfde5truct]

They drink sugar water too, but the flower was a nice added effect.

[elizalalala]

Captive ones need a special nectar that includes protein, but sugar water works great in outdoor feeders. The flower was an experiment to see how responsive the hummer was. I don't do that regularly.

[elementlink]

That's so nice of you.xd

[Abombluv]

Wildlife rehabilitator? Now that's something that I'd love to do. =)

[with2121]

wow thats cool. i love animals i have 4 ferrets, 5 cats, 1 dog, a chinchalla, 1 turtle, 5 lizards, a frog, and, like, 100 fish. go eliza :P

[dseung]

oh my god. i would love to have your job. (i love birds)

i'm actually trying to get into Vet School for next year... i'll know if i've made it in or not in a couple of weeks.. eek.

but yea.. love the work you're doing!

[Jokes22]

good job alwayz good 2 help an injured animal, bird, etc great job

[AnimeFanGrl]

aww, poor little hummimgbird. its good that you helped it out like that.

[JohnSexton]

nice one,did it survive?

[elizalalala]

I don't know, I gave it to another rehabber and I haven't spoken to her to find out. I can say all the mammals in my other videos have survived and many have been released.

[MariaGarcia281]

Wow, he's a survivor - adjusting to manual feedings and human contact. More than likely he probably collided with a window or another bird. I've seen many casualties with the former.

Good to read he has been placed in experts hands. What is the name of your wildlife rehabilitation?

[elizalalala]

I suspect a window collision, too. I'm a member of Wildlife Rehab of Greenville. Are you a rehabilitator? :)

[MariaGarcia281]

I just took so many injured animals, that either collided with my windows or showed up sickly at my back door, to the nearest rehab. Surprisingly, they'd come back after being released (especially the pigeons)...The seeds I provided were too good to pass up.

Placing moving decals on the windows didn't help. Then again, when you have a hawk fast on your tail, I don't think they have too many options.

[darkkid11]

that was so sweet of u :)

[weaselbug]

Haha, should have read the video description before commenting. 'Course, so should have a couple of others.. >.>

[weaselbug]

Honestly? No, a vet would not likely take care of a wild animal. They'd either send it somewhere else or put it down.

What did you end up doing with the little guy? Did he survive?

[elizalalala]

I haven't spoken to the rehabber I gave him to, I hope he ended up doing better, but unfortunately he didn't have very good chances as it was almost certain his wing had healed wrong.

[csnellen]

Amazing - and I'm jealous :) To even touch a hummer would be a thrill!

[AngelBabe2233]

awwwwwwww poor thing i hope he is ok. That must have been awsome to be able to hold one. Their such an awsome bird :)

[suitmanIM]

God bless you. You should give yourself a big hand.

[srpesq]

I love you for helping that little guy..I hope she is OK...

[Tijlcarm]

Je bent een goed persoon (you are a good person) !

[TiChiKat]

Beautiful

[jjjmac2003]

I hate to keep asking you questions, but Hummers are my favorite bird. It's true that they are little tiny jewels. The hummingbird in the video is now with someone else who is an expert on birds ? Is he/she doing better now ? Thank you for your time & for posting the video. I sent it to a couple of friends and they really enjoyed seeing it too.

[elizalalala]

Questions are no problem! Yes, I gave the bird to another wildlife rehabilitator. I don't think it will get better, but it is possible. Unfortunately, people tend to keep animals a while before they turn them over to a rehabilitator which can result in permanent problems. This little bird never had its wing set, which needs to be done right away.

[caseynisis]

That was nice but you should take it to a vets office and drop it off since it is a wild bird. Your vet, any vet would take care of it properly. Natures cruel but sometimes it's OK to step in and give the little ones a hand.

[elizalalala]

I'm a wildlife rehabilitator, but I agree the public shouldn't keep wild birds. Aside from being illegal, they take special care. Also, the vets in our area will not take in wildlife, if you have vets that do, kudos to them!

[csnellen]

Read what she wrote about the video - she's a wildlife rehabilitator

[uzumakibobby]

Good job. You did the right thing, I know people who would have just left the bird to die...

[jjjmac2003]

P.S. can a Hummingbird live in a cage ? Maybe one of those that is made of Bamboo, like long toothpicks. The kind for a Finch ?

[elizalalala]

Animals that were born wild will always be unhappy in cages. If they must be kept in cages, the dimensions should mimic what they were able to fly around in while they were in the wild. With that in mind I'd recommend against a bamboo cage. (And keeping migratory birds is against US federal law anyway.)

[SarahLZ]

It restores my faith in humanity when I see this sort of caring.Its refreshing to know that there are people like you. If the whole world cared about animals, the world would be soooooo beautiful.Thanking you.

[eddereno]

It's people like you who make the world a better place. Keep us posted on its recovery and bless your kind-hearted soul!

[MrrsnLov]

God Bless! That is a caring person with a big heart! Keep it up!!

[jjjmac2003]

Oh my God ! I can't believe you are actually holding it in your hand. What a trill it must be. How did he get hurt ? How do you know for sure it's a male ? And last, you must live on the east coast for it to be a Ruby Throated ?

[elizalalala]

Thanks. I mostly try not to handle it, and just held it long enough to make the two movies. I also had to hold it to give it a Q-tip bath on occasion. I do not know for certain if it is a juvenile male or female, but that is the best guess at this point. Yep, east coast!

[elizalalala]

Oh, and I do not know how it got hurt. Possibly flew into a window. Unfortunately we are pretty sure the wing was broken and healed incorrectly before I ever received it, which would mean that it won't be releasable.

[jjjmac2003]

I know it can be expensive but can you take the poor little thing to a vet ? We have a couple that specialize in birds. Maybe one would take a look for free or give advice over the phone ? I live in southern California.

[elizalalala]

I've taken some of my rehab squirrels to the vet (and yes, it is expensive), but I actually passed this bird off to another rehabber at this point. She's an expert on birds. I'm on the other side of the country from you anyway... thanks though!

[chewyxrage]

why don't you try to feed her out of one of those fake ones w/ nectar inside, the ones around my house love it

[elizalalala]

I only took it outside for a couple minutes to see if it was interested in outdoor flowers. Captive hummingbirds can't live off of sugar water, which is what the commercial and homemade feeder nectars are, and also what flower nectar is. I use homemade nectar for my outdoor feeders, but outdoor hummingbirds also eat hundreds of insects to get protein and other nutrients they need. Captive hummingbirds eat a nectar that provides the nutrients they are missing from a wild diet. :)

[Vunkle]

I love you . More people should be like you!

[2tired1967]

whoa. It's great to see someone care like that.

[downhillfastenator]

I can imagine your feelings as you tried to help. I hope that beautiful bird made a recovery.

[elizalalala]

I just got her, so I will find out soon if she is going to make it or not. She seems comfortable so far, though I am sure she would rather be free. Thanks for your kind thoughts!