Hungry hummingbirds or long-dead Aztec warriors?

From Jan. 21, 2007:

Why are hummingbirds so nasty to each other? I have three that are constantly fighting around my feeder. The birds that come to my seed feeder don’t fight like that.

They do tend to be a bit on the pugnacious side, don’t they? I found a dead hummingbird under my feeder the other day and it looked like it may have had a broken wing. I’ve been wondering if it got whacked by another hummingbird.

Did you know the Aztecs believed hummingbirds were the reincarnations of warriors who had died in battle? The idea was that they were always fighting with each other in remembrance of the good old days when they were humans.

OK, that’s probably not a very good answer to the question. Let’s try something else.

For one thing, hummingbirds, unlike most birds you see at your seed feeder, are very territorial and don’t mind taking a shot at any other bird that comes onto their turf. They have even been known to harass hawks. That would be something to see, don’t you think? A hummingbird opening up a can of whoop-butt on a hawk? They can get away with it, of course, because they can fly circles around any old hawk.

Here’s another reason: Hummingbirds, ounce for ounce, burn up more energy and burn it up faster than any other warm-blooded animal. This means they’re pretty much always living on the edge of starvation, especially at this time of year when there aren’t a lot of flowers in bloom.

So if they find a reliable source of food, your feeder, they’re going to stake it out and defend it for all they’re worth. It’s a tough world out there. Nature, as Tennyson pointed out, is red in tooth and claw. It’s kind of like watching one of my masters at a free buffet.

Now if you are really worried about all this hummingbird fussing and fighting, or if one bird seems to be bullying all the others, there is a simple answer. Just put up one or two other feeders out of the sight of the bully bird’s feeder. Peace and harmony will be restored.