It’s a good idea to leave the red dye out of your Hummingbird food mixture.
Although there isn’t a consensus on whether or not the red dye is actually harmful, there is no doubt that hummingbirds digestive systems are not intended to process artificial food.
The good news is that these lovely little birds don’t mind a clear mix at all!
Just mix 1 part sugar to 4 parts boiling water until the sugar dissolves, and you’re done.
This male Ruby Throated Hummingbird has been taking sips from my feeder all morning. In fact, he was on his 6th trip in 30 minutes when I took this shot 🙂
Photo by @sally_siko