<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small">Jon and Diane,</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small">I agree with Dennis. I learned this at a workshop years ago in California, that they will be seen in temporary "truce" at the first drink in the morning and then just before dusk, for the reasons Dennis pointed out. It is interesting that it also occurs in the crack of morning, but I suspect that is because they are refueling after a night without nectar in torpor. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small">I found this information on AI.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small">Hummingbirds <em class="eujQNb">don't</em> usually call a truce; they are intensely territorial, but in early mornings and late evenings, their behavior shifts because they need to focus on intense feeding (loading up on calories for the night/day) and conserve energy,
sometimes leading to a temporary "standoff" or less aggressive sharing
if they're too tired or realizing another feeder is nearby, though
guarding usually continues until they must rest. It's about
survival—maximizing energy intake when light is low and resting to avoid
depleting vital reserves, making them prioritize feeding over constant
fighting, though a tough defender might still chase rivals.<span class="gmail-uJ19be gmail-notranslate"><span class="gmail-vKEkVd"> </span></span><div class="gmail-Y3BBE"><span class="gmail-uJ19be gmail-notranslate"></span></div><div class="gmail-Y3BBE"><strong class="gmail-Yjhzub">Why the Change in Behavior?</strong><span class="gmail-txxDge gmail-notranslate"><span class="gmail-vKEkVd"></span></span></div><div class="gmail-Y3BBE"><span class="gmail-txxDge gmail-notranslate"></span></div><ul class="gmail-KsbFXc gmail-U6u95"><li><span class="gmail-T286Pc"><strong class="gmail-Yjhzub">Energy Conservation:</strong>
Hummingbirds have incredibly high metabolisms, needing constant fuel.
During dawn and dusk, they must rapidly refuel but can't afford the
energy cost of constant, high-speed chases, so they focus on quick sips.</span></li><li><span class="gmail-T286Pc"><strong class="gmail-Yjhzub">Nighttime Survival:</strong> They enter a state of <a class="gmail-GI370e" href="https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&channel=entpr&q=torpor&mstk=AUtExfAJ7QYHJCFp0Pc-wfKCcLSQEd3omPJAIy3O6w2B_ffjPCtE0f_p3qeFeCfZIkVPfirlcsqlcouDb4JXN59nc4XKxp1fl1F_sbn-dAtVHLeF9WKuGtXhD8TD5KrgGTk9s4WojdXSeSyjP0nLajJgjS73STyRTUV7DC7qPgj3rE6pZg0&csui=3&ved=2ahUKEwj5xOLy-uORAxXtAjQIHcppLWcQgK4QegQIAxAC">torpor</a> (a mini-hibernation) overnight, requiring a full "tank" of nectar to survive the cold hours, so evening feeding is crucial.</span></li><li><span class="gmail-T286Pc"><strong class="gmail-Yjhzub">Daylight Start:</strong>
Similarly, they need immediate energy upon waking to power their rapid
metabolisms for the day, making morning feeding a priority.</span></li><li><span class="gmail-T286Pc"><strong class="gmail-Yjhzub">Territory Management:</strong>
While they defend feeders fiercely as "flowers," the sheer volume of
birds in late summer (when many feeders are busy) can overwhelm a single
bird's ability to guard everything, leading to shared usage or less
intense guarding.</span><span class="gmail-uJ19be gmail-notranslate"><span class="gmail-vKEkVd"> </span></span></li></ul><ul class="gmail-KsbFXc gmail-U6u95"><li><span class="gmail-uJ19be gmail-notranslate"></span></li></ul><div class="gmail-Y3BBE"><strong class="gmail-Yjhzub">It's Not Always a Truce:</strong><span class="gmail-txxDge gmail-notranslate"><span class="gmail-vKEkVd"></span></span></div><div class="gmail-Y3BBE"><span class="gmail-txxDge gmail-notranslate"></span></div><ul class="gmail-KsbFXc gmail-U6u95"><li><span class="gmail-T286Pc"><strong class="gmail-Yjhzub">Temporary Lulls:</strong>
You might see multiple birds at a feeder for a few minutes, but often, a
dominant bird will start chasing others away again as they finish
feeding.</span></li><li><span class="gmail-T286Pc"><strong class="gmail-Yjhzub">Increased Numbers:</strong>
With more hummingbirds around, they sometimes form loose aggregations,
but this doesn't negate their innate territoriality, according to <a class="gmail-H23r4e" target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/hummingbirds/comments/13coq89/when_hummingbirds_call_a_truce/">this Reddit thread</a>.</span><span class="gmail-uJ19be gmail-notranslate"><span class="gmail-vKEkVd"> </span></span></li></ul><ul class="gmail-KsbFXc gmail-U6u95"><li><span class="gmail-uJ19be gmail-notranslate"></span></li></ul><div class="gmail-Y3BBE">Essentially,
it's less a polite truce and more a strategic shift in focus to
essential energy acquisition before rest or the start of a busy day,
notes <a class="gmail-H23r4e" target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7X8G_ejvM4">this YouTube video</a></div></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Dec 29, 2025 at 2:44 PM Dennis Paulson via Tweeters <<a href="mailto:tweeters@u.washington.edu">tweeters@u.washington.edu</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word;">Jon and Diane,<div><br></div><div>I suspect it is because there is no further point in defending a food source when it is almost dark, and you won’t be feeding there again on this day. Flowers make new nectar during the night, so probably that’s why they are so programmed to relax aggression at that time. And hummingbird feeders almost always have nectar in them the next morning.</div><div><br></div><div>We have seen this many times at our feeders toward the end of the day.</div><div><br></div><div>Dennis Paulson</div><div>Seattle</div><div><div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div>On Dec 29, 2025, at 2:39 PM, Cooper PhD, Jonathan A via Tweeters <<a href="mailto:tweeters@u.washington.edu" target="_blank">tweeters@u.washington.edu</a>> wrote:</div><br><div><div style="font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none;direction:ltr;font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">Hi Tweeters - Our hummingbird feeder is normally the scene of hot disputes, with a competitive male wasting no time to chase off other visitors. The other evening, in the half light, we were surprised to see not one but three, then four, Annas perched around the rim, one at each of the drinking holes. They took it in turns for one to drink while the other three watched, bills up. This went on for several minutes until it got too dark for us to see. Why such peaceful co-existence? </div><div style="font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none;direction:ltr;font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">Jon Cooper and Diane Doles</div><div style="font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none;direction:ltr;font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">Madrona</div><div style="font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none;font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt"><a href="mailto:jcooper@fredhutch.org" target="_blank">jcooper@fredhutch.org</a></div><div id="m_7142662174494302386Signature" style="font-family:ArialMT;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none"><div style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt"><br></div><p style="margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:1em"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"><br></span></p></div><span style="font-family:ArialMT;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none;float:none;display:inline">_______________________________________________</span><br style="font-family:ArialMT;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none"><span style="font-family:ArialMT;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none;float:none;display:inline">Tweeters mailing list</span><br style="font-family:ArialMT;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none"><a href="mailto:Tweeters@u.washington.edu" style="font-family:ArialMT;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px" target="_blank">Tweeters@u.washington.edu</a><br style="font-family:ArialMT;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none"><a href="http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters" style="font-family:ArialMT;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px" target="_blank">http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters</a></div></blockquote></div><br></div></div>_______________________________________________<br>
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