Hummingbird Content

Microbes Grow in Hummingbird Feeders But Do Not Likely Pose Health Hazard

Katherine E Kerlin — March 06, 2019 - 4:25pm

Many people set up hummingbird feeders in their yards to nurture and watch these high-energy pollinators. But could the sugar water they provide be impacting these tiny feathered friends?

A study led by the University of California, Davis, is one of the first to address the potential for sugar water from hummingbird feeders to act as a vector for avian — or even zoonotic — pathogens. It found that the majority of microbes growing in feeders do not likely pose a significant health hazard to birds or humans.

Tiny Tech Tracks Hummingbirds at Urban Feeders

Katherine E Kerlin — December 12, 2018 - 1:26pm

“Beep” is not a sound you expect to hear coming from a hummingbird feeder. Yet “beeps” abounded during a study led by the University of California, Davis, to monitor hummingbirds around urban feeders and help answer questions about their behavior and health.

Tracking Hummingbird Interactions at Urban Feeders

Kristin Burns — December 12, 2018 - 12:19pm

Feeder behavior offers clues about hummingbird health, disease transmission

This blog post is contributed by Pranav S. Pandit, a postdoctoral scholar at the EpiCenter for Disease Dynamics, part of the One Health Institute at the ��ϲʿ��ͼ School of Veterinary Medicine.