it might help to place a feeder or two on the other side of the house so that everyone can eat wherever the rufous isn't. is it possible to place your feeders where they cannot all be seen at once from any vantage point?

Just move one of the feeders out of sight.

Yes, I currently have all 3 in the backyard - I can place one in front of the house ...but I hope they will find it!
Thanks

We have feeders on the front and back of our house. We use to have a TV antenna on the roof just about the same distance from all of them. The male Rufous would set on the antenna and guard all the feeders with ease..lol

Too funny Bob...but so true!

...and yes to all of the above...spread the feeders around your front yard and backyard and on the sides too. Then you can have fun watching your bully rufous fly back and forth over your roof trying to guard them all :o)

~ Cat

What if I only have one feeder, and everything was great until today, when one "bully" male is now fiercely driving ALL other hummers away from the feeder? He himself hardly even drinks from it. But he drives all others away, young and adult, and he has even bashed into them while doing it. This all began today. Very frustrating for me, because I know I have to let nature take its course. But just yesterday I had nine hummingbirds all sharing the feeder, even males with the females.

Amy It won't last long. Mister bully bird will be gone all too soon in my opinion! You can put a bunch of feeders up but I guarantee he will still chase everyone away including the bees. At least that's what happens here. The other day I went outside to water some plants and the chase was so low I almost stepped on two little hummies. Sarah

Putting up more than one feeder usually eases the situation a little bit. The non-bully will usually get to sip out of the second feeder every now and then. It's good to be sure the extra feeder is out of sight of the first one.

*After taking the advice from the great people on this forum, this seemed to have worked well for me!

Thanks! I just can't help but "feel bad" for the others because we're in such a horrible drought, and my little yard with the wildflower garden and nectar is pretty rare in this neighborhood. I've had the hummer feeder up since spring and it's done really great. Last month I was making a new cup of nectar every single night, they went through it so fast. And then yesterday I had the most birds at one time so far. :)

Amy I have a question are you near West Virginia? Sarah

Hi Sarah, from where I live it takes about an hour to drive to the West VA line. We are about 40 or so miles south of downtown Pittsburgh, in a pretty rural area.

Hi Amy, I was just curious because I was reading on the Pa listserv all about the tons of hummingbirds that scott weidensaul along with the sargents catch and band and teach prospective hummingbird banders the first two weeks of august It sounded so neat! Sarah

Oh I know what you mean, I'm on the Listserv too. What a sight that would be!!! :)

Yeah really awsome! Sarah

A few years ago Smithsonian magazine had an article about hummingbirds. Under social behavior, they listed none observed. Wish I could remember which month/year it was for you. The article also commented that if hummers were the size of crows, it would be dangerous to go outside. Agressive behavior is the norm. Now if hummers were the size of crows, how big would the feeder have to be, and wouldn't they knock on the door to remind you when it got empty?

Can someone please advise! We have a bully and do not have another spot to hang a second feeder out of sight. Do they stay very long? Should I take the feeder down for a while to discourage him? I am very frustrated.....

I live in an apartment and I have had 10 or 12 hummingbirds last year. This year I only have one male hummingbird and it is bullying all the other hummers a way. What do you do to stop the bullying or get rid of it. He has been here months. I want birds back! Await hearing from you.

Thank you,

Susan

I had an immature male Rufous all winter and he wouldn't let any Ruby-throated feed in the back yard at all. In the past years I had a male Ruby who kept the back yard to himself but I don't know if the Rufous scared him away this year or if he just didn't return. My female Rufous from last year returned and she kept the side yard to herself. So I ended up with just the two this year. Two weeks ago I had 4 Rubys show up to feed and the Rufous was not in the yard at those times. I am thinking he has now left as Monday was the last day I saw him. he's probably headed northwest now. Watch out for Rufford. "Ruthie" the female left on Feb. 13th.

I'm not an expert by an means, but these are wild animals who are doing their best to survive. They need to protect any food source they can to try to save it for their own kind/family. It's just nature's way. If you have the ability to plant flowers that provide nectar sources or attract insects for the hummers to prey upon, you might be able to spread the food sources around in such a way that more birds have access and the bullies aren't able to guard it all. I know it makes a lot more work for you/us, but it also provides more diversity of food sources for more types of animals. I think I read somewhere that hummers need insects to feed their young because of the need for high protein food for rapid growth.

Another very unpopular option would be to eliminate the bullies permanently. But, I don't think very many here would consider that acceptable. Good luck to all. Happy Saturday.

Martha

I have done everything that has been posted regarding "the bully". He is relentless...I have three feeders and I put them where Mr. Bully cannot see the other two...or so I thought! Now he has found a perch where he can see two and seems to have radar on the third. He swoops up and over the house to all of them. I wish I had that much energy. Anywho, he absolutely will not share, period. I have the Hummzingers which seem to be the most attractive to them, and I have tried them all. I keep them clean and filled and there is plenty of sap and plenty of room, but he just chases everyone away. I guess there is just no trick or answer. He did it last year too...only once did I see three happy together drinking out of the same feeder until Mr. Bully appeared. If anybody knows of any tricks, would love to hear them.

I have feeders in the front and the back of the house. The roof is such that those in the front cannot see those in the back. It works. Mr. Rufus sits in the back on a tree branch scouting like mad, but he cannot see the party going on in the front. If he does do a check somehow the others know to go to the back. It's nature. If you are providing two different hummer feeder places, well, you are doing all you can.
And by the way, when I travel and go by homes with hummingbird feeders up, I always think, "Nice people live there!" :)

Do not despair. The fact they show up everyday indicates they are getting fed somewhere.
I have seen the dom bird chase and others come in to feed.
Also, at the end of the day the dom bird will go to sleep and the others will have a chance to fill up before nightfall.

For the 1st time I had a bully that I fought with the water hose. It left and then another took over. I did not know what to do. I took down the feeders but then I felt bad for the others. It is time to take them down but I will miss them I had over a dozen at a time at one feeder such a sight. One feeder used 30 oz and one with 16 oz. I kept making a gallon every other day. I once had a nest with 3 eggs and I could feed the Mother with a spoon when she came in to roost. I took a picture with my camera inches away. I saw her teach and wing her babies. Got under them and would not let them land and force them way up in the sky and then leave them, they had to fiy and she did it to all 3, 2 years in a row.

Luci

I have a serious problem that my Bully Rufus now even protects my water fountain. Hummers now are no where in sight. He is so cruel and actually have had them on the cement fighting so hard that I took all 12 feeders down for awhile. He actually injured one little hummer which I came to the rescue and held the little Anna until she was okay again. One gentleman on this sight said they are only defending food. NO, some of these bullies go beyond and harm or kill as so selfish and want it all to themselves. Many people give so much love to fee the birds and these bullies are taking it all away from these hungry little hummers. I wish their was something one can do to rid bullies. I have tried water spray, even to the point of cutting branches from my apricot tree where he sits to watch. Imagine a little thing that is a fifth of an ounce, like the weight of a dime to cause so much heartbreak for hungry little hummers and

people who is trying to feed them. I have seen bullies chase the hummers away but not to the point of actually killing them which I have seen them do with some bullies. I have this very dangerous bullie and nothing I have tried works. All my ten one quart feeders are cleaned and put away because I don't want any more hummers hurt from this vicious bully.

You can trap the offensive hummer. Professionals use simple traps when banding birds. You can trap it and then relocate it a LONG way away. It will be interesting to see how long it takes him to come back. I have had a problem in CA with an aggressive Anna male
, but I now have so many hummingbirds in the backyard that he has given up. My recommendation is to plant tons of hummingbird plants in the backyard. Eventually, so many hummers come that one dominant male cannot protect the garden and he will give up. Here is "Maverick" blinking by my feeder! (You knew that they had eyelids, right?!)

Michael, are you sure its legal for an unlicensed person to trap a hummingbird or relocate one without a permit? Those banders are both licensed and permitted.

It is illegal to handle birds without being a licensed bander. When Fred bands here, he sets up the cages and only he handles them.

Permits are required to trap migratory birds, however, the Anna's in my backyard are here year round, so I don't think it applies to them. Banders, who study migratory birds and trap lots of birds require a permit. If you get a chance, volunteer to help a bander. You can learn a lot about hummingbirds that way. Here is the URL if you want to apply for a permit.

https://www.fws.gov/permits/applicationforms/ApplicationLM.html#MBTA

Nice try. They may not migrate from your back yard, and they don't from mine either - but they are still recognized and protected by the migratory bird act. Trap and relocate is not good advice to be giving.

I trap and relocate squirrels every spring from our yard.

If i cover feeder for a few weeks, will bully go away?

If I cover feeder for a few weeks will bully leave?

We have the same issue with male Anna's in our Northern CA house. We have feeders in different parts of the yard. Ideally, out of site of his favorite perch. If they are far enough apart he might get tired of chasing everyone away. Or not. Male hummers are very territorial and watching the dogfights is part of the joy of watching hummers. We named our first dominant male "Maverick" because of his aggressive aerial displays. You are lucky to have multiple species. We only have Anna's here.

I have quite a few Rufus hummers here along with two or three other varieties. When the Rufus show up in late May early June I just keep putting out more and more feeders until they exhaust themselves and settle down a bit on their territorial behavior. I have eight feeders out and go through approximately 2 gallons of sugar water a day.