The Hummingbird Society provides this page to direct you to sources of information that we believe will be most helpful. Our mission is to promote the understanding and conservation of hummingbirds, and rehabilitation and care of injured hummingbirds lies outside of that mission. Because of this, you should consult these other sources first. Here are some general principles which you should know:

• Hummingbirds fed on a diet of sugar-water alone will die, and full-nutrition formula for them is not available to the general public. You must seek competent, licensed help to assure a bird's survival, and you must do it quickly.
• Keeping a hummingbird in captivity is a felony offense in the U.S., as is possession of a nest or any part of the bird (such as a feather)--all of which is another reason to transfer the hummingbird to a rehabilitator.
• Mother hummingbirds rarely abandon a nest, although it can and does happen. Never assume that abandonment has occurred; you must watch continuously for at least an hour, sometimes more, to be sure she is not returning. In general, if the chicks look healthy, the mother is taking good care of them. Feedings can be extremely quick and surprisingly infrequent in some stages of the chick's development.

Resources

Your local wildlife rehabilitation facility for instructions (best first step)

Project Wildlife (an exceptionally useful web site)

The International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council

Additional resources, both US and outside the US