How Far Apart Should Humming Bird Feeders Be Placed?

Spacing Is Important

• Hummingbirds are extremely territorial around feeding areas and will attack other hummingbirds that come to close to their food source, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It is not uncommon to see a single hummingbird defending feeders and flowers in an defined area. Ruby-throated hummingbirds can be so territorial that they will chase out large insects such as bumblebees and wasps, according to Nancy Coverstone of the University of Maine.

Minimum Distance

• Hummingbird feeders should be spaced at least six feet apart, according to Candace Cumming, an urban wildlife specialist with Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service. But this short distance may not be enough to prevent territorial behavior. According to a study done by Bethany Wilkins at Texas A&M University, hummingbirds can exhibit territorial behaviors when feeders are placed as much as 40 feet apart; a male ruby-throated hummingbird can control a territory of up to one-quarter of an acre.

Other Spacing Factors

• Some bird experts suggest that visibility of hummingbird feeders to each other is more important when spacing them than the distance between them. Auburn University wildlife scientists Lee Stribling and Karen Fleming recommend placing feeders so they are not within sight of each other in order to prevent territorial behavior. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology recommends separating feeders with shrubs and trees or other barriers.

Where to Place

• Each hummingbird feeder should be placed in an area protected from the wind. Place feeders in a shaded location because they can leak when the sun heats the air inside the feeder and causes it to expand. Also, nectar spoils fast in the sun. Each feeder should be hung high enough to protect the birds from cats, but there is no perfect height for hummingbird feeders so they may be placed at varied heights.