Hang nesting material for hummingbirds

Find nesting material at Wild Birds Unlimited stores.

It's time to put out nesting material for hummingbirds, which have already begun the process in Southern California. Here breeding season runs late October through early June.

It's best to purchase material from a nature store. Household items such as yarn, string and dryer lint are not suitable for bird nests. Dryer lint holds moisture, and when it does dry out, it becomes hard and crumbly. It can also contain human hair, which acts like string or fishing line to trap birds.

Female hummingbirds build the nest, sit on the eggs and care for the chicks without assistance from the male. And this hard-working mother has four or five clutches a season. She typically lays two eggs per clutch, though not all eggs are viable and many chicks do not survive. The eggs hatch within 16-18 days. The babies fledge approximately 21-28 days from the date of hatching.

Please comment if you've already seen a nest this season.
Happy Birding!
J.J.