Hummingbirds nest in a variety of places, but they are not cavity dwellers and will not nest in a common birdhouse or tree cavity. A typical nest site is near the center of a bush or tree with large leaves or on a humming house platform beneath a roof. The leaves or roof protect the nest from the wind and rain while providing just enough sunlight to keep the eggs warm but below a deadly temperature of approximately 96 degrees. The female uses spider webs as glue for the nest of grass, moss, leaves, feathers and bark.
People enjoy watching hummingbirds at feeders filled with imitation nectar. Nectar from a flower or feeder is just part of their diet. Their protein requirements are met by eating a variety of insects found inside a flower and by eating ants, insect eggs, caterpillars, gnats and mosquitoes. Absent from their diet are seeds eaten by other birds. Because of the energy they expend, they feed about every 10 minutes and eat about half of their .07 to .70 oz. body weight in nectar each day. Nest sites are ideally near a food source but can be a half mile away.
Hummingbird nests can be as close as 3 feet off the ground or as high as 60 feet above the ground. Nest height and location are critical to protect hummingbirds from predators.Their primary predators are house cats that respond to the speed and sound of the hummingbirds by chasing them. Other predators including hawks, blue jays, crows and chipmunks, and squirrels make a quick meal out of infant or adult hummingbirds or their eggs. Building nests in thick vegetation, or on protective plants like cacti or building ledges also protects the nest from predation.
Hummingbirds begin arriving in early spring after migrating from as far away as Mexico and Central America. The males arrive at the breeding grounds a few weeks before the females. They eat and establish a territory while waiting for the females. Females select a mate and begin building a nest soon after arrival. They lay two white, jelly-bean-size eggs that hatch in 11 to 16 days. Males do not help build nest or raise the young, and they breed with more than one female each year.