How to Make a Hummingbird Feeder

As an avid bird lover, I am truly fortunate to have many different species of birds lingering around my balcony and the tree in front of it during the day.

Some of the species that come by to greet me daily are the common sparrow, mynah, Asian glossy starling, black-naped oriole, yellow-vented bulbul, magpie-robin…and sunbird.

sunbird
The tiny yellow sunbird that comes by my balcony daily.

It is the sunbird which will be the reason for our article today.

Since they move about and consume nectar like hummingbirds, I decided to make a feeder based on existing hummingbird feeder designs, which is basically an inverted bottle on a flat container with holes which the birds could drink from.

Materials and Tools

To build the hummingbird feeder, I used an empty Coke bottle which has been washed thoroughly. Another flat plastic container was used as the base where the water will gather for the bird to drink from.

  1. The materials needed for this little project are:
    A small bottle. An empty Coke or mineral water plastic bottle of about 250 ml works best. Do not use a big bottle as one, it will be heavier when filled, and two, you may need to discard the water before it gets stale if left too long, especially if you don’t have a lot of hummingbirds or sunbirds in your area.
  2. A flat round container
  3. Red duct tape or masking tape
  4. Transparent tape or Hot Glue Gun (optional)
  5. Short length of chain or rope
  6. Zip ties

The tools you will need are:

  1. 3mm drill bit for wood or metal
  2. 6mm or larger drill bit for wood or metal
  3. 25mm hole saw (or diameter to match bottle mouth diameter)
  4. Drill
  5. High-speed rotary tool
  6. Rat tail file
  7. Retractable blade
  8. Scissors
N.B. Do not confine yourself strictly to the materials above. Read the steps below once or twice and if can think of better or more suitable materials than the ones I have suggested, by all means, use those.

Make a Hummingbird Feeder

If you’re ready assembling all the required materials and tools, let’s begin!

A. Preparation

make a hummingbird feeder

A1.Gather the materials and tools listed above. Note that the photo above doesn’t show all the items in the list.

make a hummingbird feeder

A2.Peel off any label on the plastic bottle or container as the designs on these labels could be distracting or visually intimidating to the birds we want to attract.

B. Making the Cuts

make a hummingbird feeder

B1.Drill a pilot hole in the centre of the lid cover of the flat round container with the 3mm drill bit.

make a hummingbird feeder

B2.Grab the hole saw, which should be about the diameter of the plastic bottle mouth, and fit the hole saw on a drill…

attract sunbirds

B3.…and drill a hole in the middle of the lid using the pilot hole made in Step A3 as a guide.

make a hummingbird feeder

B4.You should get a clean hole right in the centre of the container lid as shown.

attract hummingbirds

B5.The botle should be able to fit just nicely into the hole we’ve just created…

make a hummingbird feeder

B6.…and be able to stand upright without toppling over.

make a hummingbird feeder

B7a.Next, drill a large hole in the centre of the bottle cap with a 6mm or larger drill bit.

attract sunbirds

B7b.Enlarge the hole and deburr the inside edges with a retractable blade.

attract sunbirds

B7c.You may also use a high-speed rotary tool for quicker and cleaner work, if you have one.

make a hummingbird feeder

B7d.You should now have a clean large hole on the bottle cap.

make a hummingbird feeder

B8a.Screw on the cap tightly make a hole on the cap all the way through the mouth of the bottle with the 3mm drill bit as close as possible to the bottom edge of the cap.

make a hummingbird feeder

B8b.Drill a hole at 90 degree intervals around the entire bottle cap all the way through at the same level as the first. You should have a total of 4 holes evenly distibuted around the cap.

make a hummingbird feeder

B9.Remove the cap and place the container lid through the mouth of the bottle as far as it will go. The top of the container lid should be facing in the direction of the bottom of the bottle. Tighten the cap all the way to hold the container lid in place.

make a hummingbird feeder

B10.Run an open paper clip through each of the holes to ensure that the cap and bottle mouth are aligned where the holes are concerned. Adjust the cap if the paper clip doesn’t go all the way through. Disassemble for Part C work.

C. The Flower Part

make a hummingbird feeder

C1.Grab the red duct tape and draw a flower pattern on it.

make a hummingbird feeder

C2.Mark the centre of the flower with a circle or dot for drilling later.

make a hummingbird feeder

C3.Repeat and draw a total of 4 flower patterns.

make a hummingbird feeder

C4.Pull and cut out the tape, and cut out along the outline of each flower pattern.

make a hummingbird feeder

C5.Stick the flower pattern near the perimeter edge on the top of the container lid.

make a hummingbird feeder

C6.Stick the remaining 3 flower patterns on the container lid at roughly equal distance from one another.

make a hummingbird feeder

C7.Drill through the middle of each flower at the marked circle or dot created in Step C2.

make a hummingbird feeder

C8.Remove the burrs from the drilling with a retractable blade.

make a hummingbird feeder

C9.Use a rat tail file to smoothen the inside edges of the flower holes. This is to make it safe for the birds.

make a hummingbird feeder

C10.Place the container lid through the bottle mouth and screw on the bottle cap all the way through.

make a hummingbird feeder

C11.Again, use the open paper clip and run through each of the holes to ensure that the cap and bottle mouth are aligned where the holes are concerned. Adjust the cap if the paper clip doesn’t go all the way through.

D. Hanging and Completing the Feeder

make a bird feeder

D1.Run the short length of chain through the zip tie as shown.

attract sunbirds

D2.Fasten the zip tie around the bottle near the base of the bottle as shown.

attract sunbirds

D3.Tighten the zip tie while holding the chain up so that the chain mounting points on the bottle are across from one another.

attract sunbirds

D4.Trim off the excess portion of the zip tie with a pair of scissors or plier cutters.

attract sunbirds

D5.Run a transparent masking tape or wide cellophane tape along the zip tie to ensure it stays in place.

make a sunbird feeder

D6.The hummingbird feeder is complete and ready to be hung.

Preparing the Nectar Solution

To prepare the nectar solution for the hummingbird and sunbird:

  1. Add 3 to 4 parts drinking water to 1 part fine white granulated sugar. It would help to add a small portion of warm water first to help dissolve the sugar.
    IMPORTANT: You should only use white sugar as it is similar to the nectar these birds normally consume, and is also suitable for their metabolism. Do not use brown sugar, molasses, honey or any other sugar as some of those may be toxic to these birds, as advised by The Hummingbird Society based in Arizona..
  2. Stir to ensure that all the sugar granules are thoroughly dissolved.
    N.B. Adding red food colouring to the solution is a popular suggestion by some, but this is not necessary and not preferable.
  3. Remove the container from the feeder assembly, leaving the container lid and cap on the bottle.
  4. Pour the prepared nectar solution into the bottle. If the water is warm, wait for it to cool before pouring it into the bottle.
  5. With the bottle upright, turn the round plastic container upside down and press it firmly against the lid.
  6. Turn the feeder bottle upside down and observe as the nectar solution fills up the round container.
  7. The nectar solution should fill to the top of the round container it touches or almost touches the container lid. This is so that the solution will be within the reach of the bird’s proboscis or tongue when it is feeding. This is what the 4 holes on the bottle cap were made for.

Hanging the Hummingbird Feeder

The hummingbird was hung at my balcony without any visit by the sunbirds for a few days. This was because there is a flower plant on my neighbour’s balcony where the sunbirds have been regularly feeding from, and they were probably unaware of this new source of nectar. I have had to change the nectar solution a couple of times to keep it fresh.

how to attract a hummingbird
The hummingbird feeder hung at the balcony, almost depleted and due for replenishment.

On the third day, a sunbird came by and discovered my feeder and started sipping from it. Over the next few days, another two came by and sipped from the feeder.

Today, my feeder has become a regular watering hole for these sunbirds, to the point where one particular sunbird has recognised my role in filling up this feeder and has decided that I was a friendly party. This particular sunbird has not found the courage to come in contact with me, but has allowed me to approach it close enough (closer than the other sunbirds around at least) without taking off.

This alone, I have found to be truly rewarding!

how to attract a sunbird
Took me awhile before I was able to go close enough to capture this shot of the sunbird without it flying off.

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HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS


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