Tiny Tipplers: Study Reveals Hummingbirds Have a Surprising Taste for Alcohol

According to a recent study at the University of California, Berkeley, hummingbirds frequently imbibe alcohol, albeit in small quantities. (Photo: Djalma Paiva Armelin/Pexels)

The presence of alcohol in the diet of hummingbirds has caught the attention of biologist Robert Dudley from the University of California, Berkeley.

According to Berkely News, Dudley wondered how much alcohol these tiny birds consume and whether they are attracted to or repelled by it. Given that ethanol is a natural byproduct of the sugary fruit and nectar that plants produce, the study presented questions about the role of ethanol in the diet of hummingbirds and other animals.

“Hummingbirds are eating 80% of their body mass a day in nectar,” said Dudley, UC Berkeley professor of integrative biology, per Berkely News. “Most of it is water and the remainder sugar. But even if there are very low concentrations of ethanol, that volumetric consumption would yield a high dosage of ethanol, if it were out there. Maybe, with feeders, we’re not only farming hummingbirds, we’re providing a seat at the bar every time they come in.”

Dudley, along with several undergraduate students, conducted an experiment to test the preferences of hummingbirds toward alcohol. The study focused on male Anna’s hummingbirds, year-round inhabitants of the Bay Area, reported Berkely News.

The findings, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, revealed that hummingbirds cheerfully consumed sugar water with up to 1% alcohol content, reportedly finding it equally appealing to straight sugar water. However, when the alcohol content reached 2%, the birds reduced their intake by half, indicating a threshold effect, according to the research.

The concentration of alcohol found in sugar water that had been sitting in the feeder for two weeks was approximately 0.05% by volume. While this may seem low, Dudley explained that the cumulative exposure to ethanol from their daily consumption of nectar was significant relative to their body mass. However, the rapid metabolism of alcohol by hummingbirds prevents any noticeable effects of intoxication.

So, as much as we’d think it humorous to be true, hummingbirds are not out in nature getting super tipsy on flower hooch — they’re actually quite the responsible drinkers!

“They burn the alcohol and metabolize it so quickly,” Dudley added, per the report. “Likewise with the sugars. So they’re probably not seeing any real effect. They’re not getting drunk.”

This research is part of a broader project by Dudley and his colleagues to explore the role of alcohol in animal diets, particularly in tropical regions where fruits and nectar can naturally ferment, Berkley News reported. Future investigations will include studying the alcohol content of fruits and nectar in different environments and examining the potential behavioral effects of alcohol consumption by animals, per the report.

The study demonstrates that hummingbirds, alongside other nectar-feeding animals, are potentially exposed to ethanol as a natural part of their diet, Dudley explained. It helps expand our understanding of the diverse ways in which animals interact with their environment and the complex dynamics of their dietary choices.

This isn’t the first time animals and booze have intersected. In April, the state of Georgia issued a warning about the dangers of drunk birds. Meanwhile, both bears and elephants have been caught imbibing stolen liquor.

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