Hummingbird are very capable fliers even as it’s rains. They need a lot of food therefore, they’ve adapted to dealing the rain to continue hunting for food. However, once it becomes too heavy or if hail starts pouring along with the rain, these tiny birds need to seek shelter otherwise they will be spending 50%+ more energy to fly or hover around looking for food. 

Light rain will barely affect a hummingbirds routine whilst heavy rain would cause a change in food hunting tactics as more pit stops will be made to preen or shake of rain water before heading back out. Often you’ll find hummers more active around feeders as its easier to eat from them due to natural food sources being in limited supply.

Where Do Hummingbirds Go When It Rains?

A hummingbirds resting area tend to be within shrubs, trees and bushes therefore, if the rain becomes too much to handle, hummers seek shelter within them.

However, in cases where the rain is just barely spitting or light, a hummingbirds overall flight patterns and even speed won’t decrease much if at all. At most they may use 2 – 5% more energy to continue doing what they’re do, barely affecting their bottom line energy consumption.

A study by two scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute found that in light to moderate rain, a hummingbirds wing beats per minute would only marginally increase as the rain didn’t constitute a change in posture.

Heavy rain on the other hand required a posture change. Hummingbirds tend fly more horizontal to the ground in order to maintain a consistent flight speed. Often hummingbirds will flap their wings anywhere from 9% to 57% faster in accordance with the rain becoming heavier, which in turn will force hummers to use a lot more energy.

Therefore, it’s far more practical for hummingbirds to rest by entering a torpor state.

With that being said hummingbirds are generally very active from dawn till dusk where sleeping only 30 minutes after the sun has set to sleep so chances are they won’t rest until after dawn and in turn will need to feed in order to maintain their lifestyle even if extra energy is spent trying to do so.

Do Hummingbirds Still Feed Whilst It’s Raining?

Hummingbirds need to feed no matter if it rains or snows, in normal weather they feed every 10 – 15 minutes to accommodate their intense metabolism which often requires these hovering birds to consume 1000 – 2000 flowers every day. 

In fact they normally would need to consume close to their body weight in food every 24 hours to sustain themselves.

So yes, hummingbirds will continue to feed even when it’s raining. Even if they were to hide within shrubs or trees they’ll still need access to food otherwise they could die of starvation. 

Can Hummingbirds Fly When It Raining Heavy Or Hailing?

Yes they can fly when it rains heavy. They do exert a lot more energy and the excess weight on top of the difficulty of flapping their wings over 50% more doesn’t make this the most ideal of weather to fly around in though.

Their natural need to feed does to some degree force them to continue flying so, it’s almost necessary for them unless hummingbirds find a great source food source next to each other.

As they get wetter hummers will shake off the excess water by perching up on a branch before making their way to food source, making pit stops in between, preen the feathers and fly off to another food source.

Other then rain, hummingbirds are able to sustain flight in other more hectic turbulent situation too, whether it be in a sandstorm or even if its hailing.

The kinematics of their flight becomes more level to the ground with the tail even pointing up to compensate for the extreme velocity or elements of sudden strong gusts of wind making a hummer work harder.

Ultimately, hummingbirds are consummate flyers that’s why even if these weather conditions do cause issues and require upwards of a 50% increase in energy consumption, hummers won’t stay put at a singular terrain allowing the elements to constantly attack them.

They’ll glide in between forests, shrubs and other forms of shelter whilst occasionally shaking off the wetness to allow them to feed effectively throughout these tougher conditions.

Are A Hummingbird’s Feathers Waterproof?

No, a hummingbirds feathers aren’t waterproof but, it does have features that minimise the impact of rain on them. The feathers are designed in such a way that rain water essentially rolls off them.

This is in part due to how most birds including hummers, preen their feathers. Birds tend to rub their beaks on the uropygial or preen gland located near the tail which produces an oil like substance. They then use this substance to preen the wings and the other outer body feathers.

This oil coating essentially allows the feathers to become water-resistant, stopping the feathers soaking in the rain. Obviously as rain becomes heavier water may eventually penetrate through the coating as the oil coating would need to constantly be applied.

So without the bodily oil the wings lose their resistance to rain which in turn would make the hummingbirds feathers susceptible to becoming wet which ultimately means they cannot be waterproof.

Why Are Hummingbirds More Active In The Rain?

They need to be in order to maintain their lifestyle and to calorie up to try and accommodate their high energy consumption. Light rain won’t affect the overall activity of a hummingbird too much though.

You may also see the hummer becoming more active around your feeders in the rain too. This is because it’s an easier food source to get a hold of as other sources like bugs and even flowers may not be easily accessible.

These other sources may be damaged by a storm or the rain may be too heavy for the hummer to maintain a hover when bouncing from one flower to the next.

Summary

If the rain is light hummingbirds will simply go about their days as normal, the ability to coat their feathers with natural oil minimising the absorption of rain which helps out as the feathers won’t soak in as much liquid weight. Heavy rain does take out more energy and the preening of the oil won’t be as effective if rain is pouring down too much .

Furthermore, more energy is needed to sustain flight which is why hummers will use shrubs and trees as shelter in situations with too much rain.

Feeders will also see more use as natural food sources may be damaged or insects won’t be as easy to find considering they’re likely holing themselves up in a shelter of their own until the rain passes.

References

https://insider.si.edu/2012/07/video-shows-how-hummingbirds-adjust-to-flight-in-heavy-rain/

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2015.0387

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sciencefocus.com/nature/how-are-birds-feathers-waterproofed/amp/