Hummingbirds are some of nature’s tiniest powerhouses, beating their wings up to 90 times a second and fueled entirely by sugar. But as climate change and humans are to blame for habitat loss that has shrunk their wildflower buffet, more of us are trying to help by putting out sugar-water feeders. That sounds sweet, right? Unfortunately, not always.
In his revealing new piece, Vox environmental correspondent Benji Jones dives into a surprising and heartbreaking problem: Dirty feeders can actually sicken, and even sometimes kill, these delicate creatures.
But here’s the good news: the fix is simple.
Benji’s story isn’t just about hummingbirds — it’s about how our small actions ripple through ecosystems and can impact the very animals we’re trying to help.
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—Paige Vega, climate editor
