Overview: Based on what they know about hummingbirds, students will design and create their own feeder using everyday materials.

Subject Areas: science, visual arts, math

Key Concepts: physical adaptations

Skills: problem solving, creative thinking, teamwork/cooperative learning, artistic expression, observation, investigation

Location: indoors and outdoors

Estimated Time: varies, at least 45 min.-1hour for planning/design and 45 min.-1hour for making and testing feeder. Observation and investigation time after feeders are hung will vary.

Materials: recyclable/reusable materials such as plastic bottles with caps, deli containers with tops, plastic tubs for (e.g., for margarine or cream cheese), plastic cups, plastic plates, wire, string; art supplies such as paint pens, craft foam, ribbons; tools such as scissors, nails, wire snips, drill, tape, safety goggles, measuring instruments; water; sugar; sample commercial hummingbird feeders (optional)

Preparation: Gather all construction materials. Design a Hummingbird Flower is an excellent activity to do before starting this project. Students need to be familiar with the feeding habits of hummingbirds and adaptations of hummingbird pollinated flowers. They can use this knowledge to help them design the feeder.

Procedure
1. Hanging feeders can be an important part of attracting hummingbirds to the schoolyard. Having students create their own feeders provides additional learning opportunities and motivates them to make careful observations as the birds begin to visit! It is also a lot of fun! To begin, review the characteristics and feeding habits of hummingbirds as well as the adaptations of flowers that attract them. How can these features be incorporated in a hummingbird feeder (basically an artificial flower full of nectar)? If desired, examine several styles of commercial hummingbird feeders. What are the pros and cons of each? What special features such as ant traps or bee guards are included? How do they work? Which everyday materials can be used to make a hummingbird feeder?

2. Divide students into pairs or small groups. Ask each group to design and build their own hummingbird feeder. The feeder can be their own design or based on one they’ve seen. As they work on their creations, students should consider the following questions:

• Will the birds hover and/or perch to feed?
• How many feeding stations will the feeder have?
• Will the nectar be stored above (gravity fed) or below feeding holes?
• How will you prevent nectar from leaking out?
• How will the feeder survive wind, rain, and other weather events?
• How will you prevent ants, bees, or others from accessing the feeder?
• How will you hang the feeder?
• How will you clean the feeder?
• Will you be able to tell by looking how much nectar is left?
• Does the feeder pose any potential harm to hummingbirds?

3. Ask students to describe and sketch their feeder designs on paper before building them. Students may need to experiment with some of the materials before completing their design. For testing purposes, start by using plain water instead of the 1:4 sugar to water nectar solution that will be put into the final feeders. Make sure groups have addressed each question above in their design.

One of the toughest items to address is keeping out ants and bees. Crawling insects can be excluded by creating a water barrier or sticky area between them and the feeder. Flying insects have shorter tongues that hummingbirds and can be excluded in various ways by keeping the nectar out of their reach. This may be best accomplished by storing the nectar below feeding holes.

4. When it is time to build the feeders, take all necessary safety precautions. You may need to have classroom aides or parent volunteers to help with cutting, drilling, or punching holes.

5. When feeders are complete, let students show them off and explain their features to classmates.

6. Make the nectar solution by adding one part regular white granulated sugar to four parts water. Ask students, “What percent solution is this?” It’s 20%, which closely matches the concentration of sucrose in most flower nectar! Stir to dissolve all the sugar, then boil for approximately two minutes to sterilize. Nectar should be cooled before filling feeders. Any extra can be stored in the refrigerator for future use. Please note that is not necessary or advisable to add red food coloring to the solution. Never make the solution from anything else but plain white granulated table sugar. Nectar made from honey is especially dangerous because it can cause a fatal infection.

Wrap-Up: Hang the filled feeders outside and wait for the hummingbirds to arrive. Which feeder will the birds judge to be most useful and attractive? If you have more feeders than you can use at school, allow students to take extras home and test them there. Monitor feeders closely and make sure to clean them regularly.

Extensions
Students can track the cost of building their feeder and create a budget for their feeder design. Compare the costs of the homemade feeders to commercial feeders.

Have students make careful observations, then make recommend changes to make their feeders even more effective.

Ask students to create detailed step-by-step plans for building their feeder. Include diagrams or photos. Other students should be able to recreate the feeder based on their plans.

Conduct various experiments using the feeders. Investigate a question that interests students about birds’ feeding behaviors. See the suggestions for hummingbird inquiry ideas. Students will likely come up with their own list of questions to explore.

This activity was written by Kim Bailey, Georgia regional editor for Green Teacher magazine.