There's nothing cooler than seeing a hummingbird up close.  Their tiny wings flutter so quickly, it's truly amazing to watch. Since hummingbirds are so small, it can be hard to see them at times, so many people like to put out hummingbird feeders so they can attract the tiny birds and watch them.  It's truly one of the small joys in life.

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If you have a hummingbird feeder, it's extremely important to feed them correctly.

If you have a hummingbird feeder at your home, that's great! There's nothing cooler than seeing these adorable tiny birds up close.  However, if you have a feeder it is extremely important that you feed them correctly.  Hummingbirds are so tiny that the wrong thing can be deadly to them.

According to HummingbirdSociety.org the only thing you should put in a hummingbird feeder is white cane sugar and water.  That's it. No red dyes are needed, no organic sugar, no brown sugar. ONLY plain white cane sugar and water. The appropriate mixture is:

• 1 cup of white cane sugar
• 4 cups of spring water

It is recommended that you change the mixture every 4-5 days, and more frequently if it's really hot outside and you notice the water become cloudy. Be sure to also wash your feeder in between water changes to make sure it's as healthy as possible for our tiny bird friends.

Why is it so important to only use white cane sugar?

HummingBirdSociety.org says:

If cane sugar is not PURE WHITE, it may not have been sufficiently purified to remove trace amounts of molasses. As we know, molasses is rich in iron; this is helpful to humans but is a toxin to hummingbirds in all but the tiniest, tightly monitored amounts.

If you're going to have a hummingbird feeder outside it is your responsibility to make sure that you are feeding these birds the right thing.

In a recent, viral facebook post from Sugar Good-Thompson, they share the story of a hummingbird who can no longer get its tongue back in its mouth due to fungal spores that developed on its tongue due to people putting honey in their hummingbird feeders.  This post really highlights why it is SO incredibly important to do the right thing when feeding hummingbirds.

Want to put out a hummingbird feeder?

If you want to take on the responsibility of putting a hummingbird feeder out, that's great! HummingbirdSociety.org has so many great resources to make sure you're feeding hummingbirds properly, you can read more from them, here.