Hummingbird Magnet
Introducing the “Hummingbird Magnet.” It’s often been said that one way to attract hummingbirds is to hang a red ribbon from the hummingbird feeder. Well, we know that does work, in fact click here for a bunch of ways to help the hummers find your backyard.
Back to the Hummingbird Magnet… The makers of this little jewel finder stuck a double folded changeable 16″ special red ribbon to the bottom of their unit. Why… because we know it works, and its movement will catch the hummingbird’s eye.
But let’s talk about those eyes…
Humans can see the colors red, blue, and green. Each color is represented by a cone within the retina of the eye. There may be 6 or 7 million of these photoreceptor cells (“cone cells”) in each human eye. Each cone is responsible for one of the three colors, and those in-between colors. So, the red cone goes from deep red to orange then yellow. The green cone will see from orange to yellow to green to aqua. The last blue cone will go from aqua to deep blue.
This is called “trichromatic. ” So non-color blind trichromatic human can see reds, green, and blues (sometimes called RGB) and they can distinguish a “purple” color by adding blue and red. Or a brown color by taking green and add red, etc.
The human visible light wave runs from a long of 700 nanometers (red), through a mid-size 500 nanometer long wavelength (green), to a short wave which ends for humans at around 400 nanometers in length (red). All the colors we see are in these 700 to 400 nanometer length waves.
What about a hummingbird’s eyes?
What if I told you just because, humans as masters of the universe, can’t see beyond blue doesn’t mean other creatures can’t. Which brings us to hummingbirds. It’s well-known hummingbirds like the red trumpet vine flowers, they will flock to the blue flower of a black and blue salvia plants and have no problem getting nectar from a yellow lantana flower.
But what else is guiding the hummingbirds to these flowers? It’s sub 400 nanometer wavelength called ultraviolet. Humans can’t see ultraviolet but some animals like some birds can. Hummingbirds are one of those creatures with the “4th Cone” that can detect ultraviolet light.
Where you and I see red, hummingbirds see red + UV (which is a color we not only can’t see it, but we certainly can’t describe it either.) I wonder what brown + UV looks like, I’ll never know. But take the RGB color range and add UV light color range and you have a giant bullseye for the average hummingbirds.
That’s the secret sauce of the “Hummingbird Magnet.” The clear 10.5″ tube is coated with a UV reflective material that hummingbirds can’t resist. The coating to you and I is almost transparent, but to the bird it looks like a beacon of celebration.
The entire unit, not including the attached leather strap is 27 inches in length and the widest point is the “O” ring which is 1 inch in diameter. The O-ring is where you can replace your ribbon. We’ve provided 2 additional sets in the container.
Total price including shipping is just $24.99. Order one today and get yourself ready for hummingbird season this spring!