Having issues with a hummingbird feeder leaking? Here's what might be causing the problem — and what you can do to fix the leaky feeder.
Stop Your Hummingbird Feeder From Leaking
Published on Mar. 07, 2025
Hummingbird season is one of the best times of year for backyard birders. We all enjoy seeing our favorite flying jewels zip and flit around from bloom to bloom, or from bloom to hummingbird feeder. With that said, the season gets a bit less fun when problems arise with your feeders — and especially when they leak. Here’s a few reasons why your hummingbird feeder is leaking, and a few ways to potentially solve the problem.
Learn how to keep bees and wasps away from hummingbird feeders.
On This Page
Issues With the Seal
If your feeder is several years old, you might want to check the seal (sometimes called the gasket) to make sure it hasn’t worn down or cracked. A problem with the seal could mean the sugar water leaks out. In addition, full feeders seem to hold their contents better than partially filled feeders.
If a bad seal is the culprit for your leak problem, you might be able to replace it (contact the feeder manufacturer, or try a local bird feeding store) or repair it with nontoxic materials. If leaks continue, it is ultimately best to buy a new feeder as leaks can attract ants and other insects.
Get answers to all of your hummingbird-feeding questions, straight from the experts.
Dirty Hummingbird Feeder Leaking
Improperly cleaned hummingbird feeders can get sugar or dirt and gunk buildup in the ports. When this happens, the feeder might leak because the seal can’t properly shut off the sugar-water. Fortunately, this is an easy fix: make sure to clean your hummingbird feeder twice a week during hot weather, and at least once a week when the weather cools down.
Crack in Hummingbird Feeder
If your feeder is made of glass or plastic, inspect it for any cracks or chips. A cracked feeder could be letting sugar-water drip out — and leaving your hummingbirds hungry. As with bad seal issues, it might be possible to repair the feeder (always use nontoxic materials that aren’t harmful to hummingbirds), but it’s probably time to buy a new feeder.
Make sure you never make these common hummingbird feeder mistakes.
Weather-Related Problems
When the weather warms up, the sugar-water in your feeder can expand. As a result, there’s added pressure on the seal, and the hummingbird food might leak out. When the weather cools down, the pressure alleviates and the leak should stop. On hot summer days, you might try moving the feeder into the shade.
Wind could also rock the hummingbird feeder, causing it to tip sideways and spill. If this is a problem, you could take the feeder down temporarily on a windy day. Large glass feeders are usually heavier and less likely to tip.
Reader Becky Smock Ellison says, “I use glass feeders and they’re heavy enough not to swing back and forth in the wind. Swinging in the wind makes them leak from the feeding places.”
Try a Saucer Feeder
If you’d like to use a hummingbird feeder that’s less likely to leak overall, consider adding a saucer-style hummingbird feeder to your yard. A saucer feeder features a shallow bowl for sugar-water sitting below the perches, rather than an upside-down bottle in the middle of the feeder screwed into a base.
Because the feeder openings are raised, a saucer feeder doesn’t require the sugar-water to flow downward and leaks are usually less common. As a result, a saucer feeder can last longer — and hummingbirds drink from it the same.
Reader Veronica Lobmeyer says, “Buy a saucer type instead of the gravity-fed type, because gravity-fed [feeders] always leak eventually.”
