The invention relates to an apparatus for feeding aqueous liquid food to hummingbirds, orioles and the like. The invention combines a feeder using new liquid flow control system to meter the liquid food from the pre-filled reservoir with a cover which in the shipping position provides an attractive container to draw the purchaser's attention to the product and when in the hanger position allows the purchaser to hang the invention from a convenient tree limb or other suitable location.
Many types of devices are known for supplying an aqueous liquid food to wild birds. Such devices generally contain a reservoir for nutrient solutions, and are designed to release solution on a demand basis, thereby conserving the quantity of solution dispensed. In the case of feeders designed for hummingbirds, special consideration must be given to the fact that the bird has a long slender beak, and sometimes remains in hovering motion while feeding.
It has become a rather popular pastime to feed and watch wild birds at a feeder at one's residence. The feeding of birds not only provides a pleasant pastime for the residents, but also, provides necessary food for the birds during times of diminished natural food supply. Bird feeding has allowed a variety of bird species to extend their historic range into areas where they could not survive without human assistance and to winter further north or in a more severe climate.
Hummingbirds are of particular interest owing to their bright vibrant colors, their tiny size, and their unusual flight patterns. Hummingbirds, however, are not drawn to the conventional bird feeder serving solid food. In the wild, hummingbirds feed on the nectar of a variety of plants and small insects. To feed hummingbirds, therefore, man is limited to providing nectar or a nectar substitute.
The prior art shows several examples of feeders for feeding liquid food to birds. U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,662 issued Dec. 17, 1985 to W. Peterson shows a typical hummingbird feeder of one type having an inverted reservoir for holding a supply of liquid food and a dispenser tube for the hummingbirds to feed from. The Peterson patent is for an apparatus for adapting a previously used beverage can into a hummingbird feeder. While the Peterson device admirably performs its functions, it has several shortcomings. It uses surface tension of the liquid food to retain the liquid in the reservoir and as such is susceptible to unwanted dispensing of the food from the wind tilting the container. Secondly, standard design beverage cans are usually fabricated from aluminum sheet which is opaque and unless the beverage can happens to be red, its color will not attract the hummingbirds and, secondly, one is unable to readily determine the amount of liquid remaining in the feeder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,673 issued Feb. 20, 1990 to R. Overstreet describes a typical hummingbird feeder of a second group. The Overstreet feeder discloses a feeder having in inverted reservoir with a flattened conic base for a feeding area. The liquid is retained in the reservoir by atmospheric pressure so long as the liquid level in the base is at or above the feeding apertures. The Overstreet patent is drawn to the additional insect inhibiting attachment to the feeder.