Have you ever wondered how wildlife teams feed nectar-loving baby birds? Turns out, it’s pretty darn cute.
KwaZulu-Natal (13 October 2025) – FreeMe Wildlife recently welcomed tiny and very adorable sunbird hatchlings into their care. Sunbirds are nectarivores, feeding mostly on sweet nectar (though they’ll snack on insects and spiders too). To feed them in care, FreeMe uses a syringe filled with nectar mix.
They rely on a clever and very cute method to do so!
Part of caring for wildlife is all about encouraging their natural instincts. This is done so that once they are released from human care, rescues are able to get by independently after being hand-reared.
It’s an important part of rescue work that ensures long-term survival.
In this case, the FreeMe team uses the sunbirds’ favourite Halleria lucida flower to coax them into feeding.
They slide the small flowers over the tip of a feeder, so the chicks are ‘tricked’ into thinking they’re enjoying fresh nectar from the flower, as they would do in the wild.
Look how cute!
This kind of approach isn’t unique to sunbirds.
Here in SA, the endangered Southern Ground Hornbills are fed with life-like puppets! This is to stop chicks from imprinting on humans. That way, when they’re grown and ready for release, they won’t see people as food providers but remain wild and self-sufficient.
If you’d like to make life a little easier for nectar birds in your own garden, you can:
- Plant indigenous nectar plants like Halleria lucida or aloes
- Skip pesticides, which wipe out the insects birds rely on for protein
- Offer a safe sugar-water feeder (about 1 part sugar to 4 parts water, no dyes)
And if you spot an injured or distressed hatchling, contact the most reputable wildlife organisation nearby to help!
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