Updated at: 06-06-2023 - By: Jane Brody

Hummingbirds can be attracted to a window feeder, but care must be taken to prevent the feeder’s suction cups from failing and the feeder from falling.

A weight restriction is recommended by the manufacturer, although keeping less nectar in the window hummingbird feeder is a good idea anyhow. As an added precaution, wipe down the glass panel and suction cups. Fill the feeder with plain water to check the vacuum seal and ensure it is secure.

Window Hummingbird Feeders (1)

A hummingbird window feeder’s stability is primarily concerned with preventing the feeder’s perch from falling to the floor below it or, more generally, preventing the hummingbirds from colliding with the window.

The best hummingbird feeders for windows feature suction cups with a larger surface area, ensuring a firm grip on the window.

It’s safer to use your own homemade nectar in a window hummingbird feeder with a single suction cup because it has a lower capacity.

Safe initial filling levels for any window hummingbird feeder are between 50 and 33 percent of the capacity of the feeder.

Make sure the suction cups are clean and dry before applying them to the clean glass of your window. You can moisten it if you like, but the tried-and-true method of licking it to make it stick still works just as well.

The nectar in window hummingbird feeders needs to be emptied and replaced on a regular basis, so they need to be taken out of the windows to be cleaned and refilled.

Cleaning the suction cups and wiping off the area on the glass again should do the trick.

What is a window bird feeder hanging, as it happens, might save you the trouble of repeatedly taking down and re-hanging the feeder. A typical hummingbird feeder can be hung from the hook, provided it isn’t too heavy, and the hook can remain in place.

It’s impossible to ensure that a hummingbird feeder will attract birds to your window, but you can make it safe for them right away.

Safer than most bird feeders

Hummingbird feeders are designed to balance in a very certain way, therefore it’s important to know that before purchasing one.

What I mean is that the nectar within the feeder’s container must weigh about the same as the weight of the feeder itself so that it may securely attach to a glass window.

Even with extra-large suction cups, a proper balance on a protruding feeder is difficult to achieve since the cups can be pushed off from the top. However, this danger can be mitigated by using fewer, larger cups.

The size and number of suction cups mounted to individual hummingbird feeders determine the difference in safety between a window hummingbird feeder and a standard window bird feeder.

Because of the increased force exerted on the suction cups by a window disc-style hummingbird feeder, just two suction cups are often included.

With this, you can make sure that the vacuum created by the suction cups is powerful enough to hold even if the window feeder is completely stuffed.

Hummingbird feeders for the window can have the same disc shape but with two smaller suction cups, albeit this may reduce the capacity of the feeder.

In order to evenly distribute the nectar’s weight, a normal tall window hummingbird feeder employs two suction cups, one at the bottom and one at the top.

Risk of collapse is low

Window Hummingbird Feeders (2)

OK, a bird feeder hung in a window isn’t as secure as one hung in a tree or from a bracket, especially if you’re storing potentially hazardous ingredients like homemade nectar.

Hummingbirds may be eating from the feeder when it falls from the window if care is not taken when attaching it to the glass.

Making sure all the suction cups are clean and properly wet or licked will ensure that your window hummingbird will adhere securely to glass but not plastic.

Next, press all of the feeder’s suction cups firmly against the window for about 10 seconds, and then release them. This will create a secure connection between the feeder and the glass.

A hummingbird window feeder is shown equipped with a single large suction cup, which is assumed to be sufficient for attaching the feeder to a smooth glass surface.

When in doubt, fill the window hummingbird feeder to the brim with normal tap water and see if it stays put for a week.

When you’re testing your window hummingbird feeder, you may also add more weight inside to make sure it stays put.

Hummingbirds can only be lured to a window feeder by using nectar, therefore if you fill it with water first, the birds won’t bother to come and feed.

Maintain window feeder as normal

If you have a hummingbird feeder that sticks to your window, it’s important to keep in mind that you’ll need to clean it regularly.

Cleaning and repairing a window feeder for birds is equally crucial.

The suction cups holding the hummingbird feeder to the glass may weaken if the window becomes dirty.

It’s recommended to remove the hummingbird feeder from the window at least twice a week to clean the window and the feeder’s inside before re-affixing it with clean suction cups.

As long as the nectar they provide is uncontaminated, hummingbird window feeders are a wonderful addition to any home.

In order to keep hummingbirds from getting sick, nectar should be changed daily or as often as possible. It’s likely that nectar stored so close to a warm window may degrade much more quickly than usual.

The old nectar must be tipped out, and once the feeder has been re-mounted in the window, you may pour in the new nectar.

If you want to avoid spilling nectar everywhere, fill the window hummingbird feeder after you’ve returned it to the window.

Similar to how spilled nectar from hummingbird feeders might attract ants, you may want to consider investing in an ant moat for your window feeder.

Crash into window risks

Window Hummingbird Feeders (3)

A hummingbird feeder adhered to a pane of glass presents the obvious risk of the feeder collapsing. However, if you are confident that a secure bond has been established between the suction cups and that there are no defects in the cups themselves, it will not.

Attracting hummingbirds to your window feeder, and thus your window, does pose a risk, however, in that the birds may fly through the glass.

Hummingbirds, and possibly other birds as well, may fly into the window if they see their reflection in the glass and mistakenly think there is more yard to explore behind them.

Hummingbirds could appear unharmed when they dart off in a new direction, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t had internal damage.

Consequently, we need to be extremely cautious to avoid any potential head-on collisions now or in the future.

Create a grid-like design on your window with colored tape or sticky notes to alert hummingbirds to the presence of a window.

The goal is to train the birds to land on the feeder and stay put by making it obvious that they are up against a wall of some kind.

Conclusion

Stick-on hummingbird feeders for windows can be a lot of fun to experiment with, but keeping everyone safe is of utmost importance to ensure the feeder doesn’t fall.

Hummingbird feeders for the window can be manufactured with a smaller number of suction cups than you would be used to, and because the nectar capacity is less, the entire feeder and its contents will weigh less than a standard window bird feeder.

The first step in preventing a fall is to clean the area of the glass where the suction cups will be attached.

The suction cups should be wiped down to ensure there are no dirt or debris that could compromise the seal.

Simply wetting or licking the entire inside suction cup ensures a strong bond and, in turn, a tight vacuum.

While the likelihood of a window hummingbird feeder collapsing is low, it is still a good idea to test it for a few days by filling it with water.

Also, make sure the birds know there’s a pane of glass in their path before they attempt to land on the bird feeder, so they can avoid crashing into it.

Any ordinary backyard bird will likely misinterpret a window reflection as an actual extension of the yard; therefore, it is recommended that you use tape or sticky notes to alert hummers to the presence of an obstacle they cannot see.

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