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 P 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 51�ԹϺ�� Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.