Further, no study has ever been done comparing the results of feeding regular granulated cane sugar to feeding organic white sugar in wild hummingbirds. There is no way to scientifically move from this study to any recommendation for avoiding organic white sugar. Read the report for yourself and see what conclusions you would draw. This report led to the conclusion that one (unnamed) manufacturer understated the actual amount of iron in their sugar nectar supplement for hummingbirds which presumably led to the death of 25 captive hummingbirds in a 5 month period. No additional pathology has been reported. Subsequently, the zoo reevaluated the diet that they fed their captive hummingbirds to reduce the amount of iron to 20 mg/ kg in the dry nectar powder. The captive hummingbirds’ diet consisted solely of this supplement nectar and fruit flies. The iron listed on the package was 40 mg/kg and this was added in the form of iron sulphate to the nectar feed by the manufacturer. The nectar supplement was found to contain up to 886 mg/kg of iron (dry weight). An analysis was done on the artificial nectar powder provided to the hummingbirds in captivity. It was inconclusive however, it was noted that the birds had high amounts of iron in the cells of their livers, although there was no evidence of liver pathology in the report. For 13 years until this die off, the zoo had successfully maintained hummingbirds on a diet consisting of a manufactured nectar supplement which reportedly contained 40 mg/kg iron.Ī necropsy was done on the birds in the University of Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. These fears are based on a single report in 2003, based on an Arizona zoo that had a mass die-off of 25 hummingbirds in a 5 month period. Some of these recommendations cite a single report so I had a closer look at this report to see if the hysteria was warranted.Ī single report not a scientific experiment There are a lot of urban myths that are dictating that people choose exclusively non-organic refined white sugar because of the supposed danger to wild hummingbirds from the trace amounts of iron that may be in organic white sugar.
I’ve had a lot of comments about my recommendation to use organic sugar in my healthy hummingbird recipe. Is organic white sugar safe to feed to hummingbirds? Let’s agree that what is best for hummingbirds should dictate our choice. Get the facts and take a deep dive into the report that this urban myth is based on. Is organic sugar safe to feed hummingbirds? The internet says “NO” but science has a different opinion.