Hummingbird Advice from Chris Soucy
August 24, 2017
I asked Chris Soucy, director of the terrific Raptor Trust, for his thoughts, experiences and advice on rescuing and rehabbing hummingbirds.
Here's his reply -- a fascinating read:
The Raptor does not receive many hummers each year. They are not that common, really.
We receive a LOT of American Robins, Mallards, Mourning Doves, Red-tails. THOSE are common. That said, yes, we do receive hummers (invariably Ruby-throated in NJ, no others really occur here).
Hummers are very difficult to deal with in rehab. Very specialized diets, highly-specialized feeding adaptations, unusual anatomy in almost every way, extremely small size and weight, off-the-charts metabolism. Sort of a perfect storm of problems for rehabilitation.
Rehab success with them is very low - and that's not just us. That's true of most rehab facilities, too.
I have not personally heard of a hummer caught in a spider web, but it sure seems possible. I think of Great Horned Owls caught in soccer nets, Cooper's Hawks caught in laundry lines, and proportionally speaking, it's about the same.
In the "spider web" scenario, gently cleaning the bird, removing the web and letting it go quickly seems appropriate. In any other scenario (orphan out of a nest, injured bird, broken wing, etc.), getting it to a licensed rehabber is the only course of action.
It is illegal for people to attempt rehab of a protected species without the required state and federal permits.
Here's one tip. If you are going to put out a hummingbird feeder, put out TWO!
They are very territorial and will spend all day chasing each other away from one feeder, neither of them getting a chance to eat! Put out two feeders, and everybody gets a snack...
Thanks, Chris!
My column on that recent hummingbird rescue is here.
The Raptor Trust's website is here.