No, hummingbirds will not become dependent on feeders, these tiny birds may stay within the feeders vicinity but, they will not rely on it as their only food source. Flower nectar and small insects are the other food options a hummer will include within its diet making up 80% of their diet with only 20% consisting of the nectar within feeders. 

That isn’t to say that hummingbirds aren’t aware of the fact you’re feeding them. If the sugar water does run out or ants or other tiny bugs infest it, they’ll be more than ready to inform you of the situation to sort it out as soon as possible.

When Should You Stop Feeding A Hummingbird?

You can continue feeding the hummingbirds up until the winter months as they’ll stick around until then just before they start migrating, whether it be departing in late July or early November, depending on the species and the region within which they’re located.

These tiny fliers generally won’t stick around (unless we’re talking about Anna’s hummingbirds) as less daylight forces them to migrate to regions with longer days to compensate for the lack of food that winter regions have.

Males will depart a week or 2 earlier than the females so taking into account your region you can take down the feeders a couple weeks beforehand.

That’s unless you want to continue giving some of the longer journey makers a helping hand whilst migrating North or South providing them an extra opportunity to feed. With that being said, winter hummingbirds are becoming more commonplace due to the advancement in horticulture in most metropolitan states.

All in all, as long as you continue rotating the feeders and keep them warm throughout to provide a food source for hummers attempting to get through winter (of which there will be very few), by all means keep your feeder out as they’ll definitely appreciate it.

Do Hummingbirds Prefer One Feeder Over Another?

For the most part hummingbirds aren’t very picky. You’ll just want to provide them with a clean feeder and a competent sugar water solution to keep the birds happy.

As hummingbirds hover whilst feeding, unless you want to attract other birds like finches, getting a more expensive feeder with a perch probably isn’t necessary.

Furthermore, hummers are generally quite smart and are more than capable of remembering feeders they’ve been to in previous years. In fact there’s a good chance that they may go back to a feeder they’ve previously visited that met their standards.

Their brain relative to their body size are actually very large where the hippocampus, the area within their brain that helps with memorization and learning, is up to 5 times the size other avian species like woodpeckers, songbirds and probably a good number of other birds.

Meaning they’ll have a good idea as to what feeder are the best for them and which ones to avoid. Hummingbirds definitely remember the individuals who fill up their feeders, which is why occasionally these buggers may hover in front of you or knock on your windows to let you know that it’s time for a refill.

Why Would It Be Bad If Hummingbirds Were Dependent On A Feeder?

If a hummingbird was completely dependent on a feeder there would technically be a few negatives to it. First of all if another larger bird were to take refuge at their feeding spot of choice then they wouldn’t be able to eat and survive.

Possibly the feeder in question may not be clean resulting in the hummer getting ill and potentially passing on.

They may decide to stick around even in the winter seasons which means their food sources may be limited as insects aren’t as easy to find, flowers don’t necessarily bloom in winter and if their human was unable to provide a fresh nectar substitute or even keep the feeder from freezing regularly, a hummingbird could potentially pass on due to starvation.

I wouldn’t say that this is the most realistic of scenarios but, if a hummingbird were to be overly dependent on your feeder, it certainly won’t be in their best interests, particularly when they are looking to survive through winter.

Will Hummingbirds Come Back To The Same Feeder?

As mentioned above hummingbirds are extremely intelligent with their brains amongst the largest relative to their body across all of bird kind. Therefore, they will remember the previous feeder that they’ve been to.

In a lot of occasions hummers will make their way back to the same feeder every year however, if the feeder isn’t put out in time to accommodate them, there’s a good chance they’ll just move on.

Therefore, if you want these mini birds hovering around your garden in the summer months, make sure to place the feeder out to accommodate them throughout their migration season.

Summary

Hummingbirds aren’t overly dependent on feeders although in specific occasions like for example when they arrive too early before flower nectar has bloomed or for those who stick around your region in the winter months, it will be a necessary food source.

As for the majority, even if it’s a good source of food hummers will still find flower nectar to consume, insects to chow down on between eating sessions at a feeder, especially when the feeder in question is extremely busy or over run by bigger more predatory birds.

References

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.quora.com/Will-feeding-hummingbirds-make-them-dependent-on-the-feeder-to-where-they-wont-look-for-food-elsewhere&ved=2ahUKEwiQ042ZrunzAhWYiVwKHcl9AwoQjjh6BAg1EAE&usg=AOvVaw2inZwBKVS7BqbrL-I5c_cd

https://www.whatbirdsareinmybackyard.com/2019/11/when-should-i-put-out-take-down-hummingbird-feeders.html?m=1

https://www.hummingbird-guide.com/stop-feeding-hummingbirds.html

https://www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/attracting-hummingbirds/13-questions-hummingbird-feeders-answered-pros/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2104624/amp/Hummingbirds-huge-memory-lets-remember-location-flower-territory.html

https://www.hummingbird-guide.com/hang-hummingbird-feeders.html#:~:text=Hummingbirds do have a fantastic,somewhere else and never return.&text=Some years the hummingbirds arrive,supplying flowers are in bloom.