Praying Mantis on Your Hummingbird Feeder? Remove It

Now serious threat. These predators can and do catch hummingbirds. Here's what to do — and how to prevent it.

Praying Mantis on Your Hummingbird Feeder? Remove It Now

You glance out the window and notice something unusual clinging to your hummingbird feeder. It's not a bird. It's not a bee. It's a praying mantis — motionless, perfectly camouflaged, waiting.

This is not a harmless curiosity. Remove it immediately.

Praying mantises are ambush predators capable of catching and killing hummingbirds. It has been documented many times, photographed, and studied. The mantis positions itself near a feeder or flower, blends in, and strikes the moment a hummingbird comes within range — faster than the bird can react.

How It Happens

A praying mantis doesn't chase prey. It waits. When a hummingbird approaches a feeder to feed, it hovers briefly — and that split second of near-motionlessness is all the mantis needs. The strike is nearly instantaneous, happening in a fraction of a second.

Larger mantis species — particularly Chinese Mantises (Tenodera sinensis), which were introduced to North America and can reach 4--5 inches in length — are the most frequently implicated. These large insects can grip and hold a bird while delivering a fatal bite to the head or neck.

It sounds dramatic. It is. And it happens at backyard feeders more often than most people realize.

How Common Is This?

Common enough that wildlife photographers have captured it repeatedly, and enough hummingbird enthusiasts have witnessed it that it's now well-documented in birding communities and wildlife journals. Praying mantises are opportunistic — if your feeder is in a spot with good cover and reliable hummingbird traffic, it's an attractive hunting ground.

The risk is highest in late summer and early fall, when mantises are at their largest (after months of growth) and are hunting most aggressively before the cold sets in.

What to Do If You Find One

Relocate it — don't kill it. Praying mantises are beneficial insects that eat garden pests. They didn't choose to be a threat to your hummingbirds; they're just being mantises.

1. Put on gardening gloves (mantises can bite — it's not dangerous, but it's surprising).

2. Gently pick up the mantis or use a stick or container to scoop it.

3. Relocate it at least 100 feet from your feeder — ideally into a vegetable garden or dense shrubs where it can do good pest-control work.

Don't relocate it to a neighboring yard with feeders. Move it to a genuinely feeder-free zone.

How to Prevent It

Check your feeder every morning before hummingbirds arrive. Mantises are most active during daylight, but they may settle onto a feeder overnight to wait for morning visitors. A quick visual check before the first hummingbirds show up can prevent an ambush.

Choose feeder placement carefully. Mantises need a launch point — they can't hover. A feeder hung out in the open, away from branches and foliage they can cling to nearby, is harder to use as a hunting platform. Avoid hanging feeders where dense leaves or stems are immediately adjacent.

Watch for camouflage. A mantis sitting still on a green or brown feeder can be nearly invisible. Look carefully, especially at ports and around the base of the feeder. If something looks like a stick that wasn't there yesterday, look twice.

Other Predators at Hummingbird Feeders

Praying mantises are the most surprising feeder predator, but they're not the only one.

Cats — Outdoor cats are a major and under-appreciated threat to hummingbirds. A cat that learns a feeder brings birds to one predictable spot will return. Keep cats indoors or use baffles and high feeder placement to limit access.

Sharp-Shinned Hawks — These small accipiters specialize in hunting small birds. A Sharp-Shin will perch in cover near a feeder and strike. If you notice hummingbirds suddenly vanishing from a feeder, scan nearby trees. The hawk won't stay long, but the birds will return once it moves on.

Bull Snakes and Rat Snakes — In warmer regions, these climbers may scale feeder poles or nearby structures. A pole baffle will stop most snakes.

Orb-Weaver Spiders — Large garden spiders occasionally catch hummingbirds in their webs. It's rare but documented. Check any large webs near your feeders, particularly in fall.

One Incident Doesn't End Hummingbird Feeding

If you witness a mantis catch a hummingbird, it can be genuinely upsetting. But don't let it drive you to take down your feeder.

The vast majority of feeder visits end safely. Hummingbirds are fast, alert, and experienced at detecting threats. The predation risk is real but manageable. Relocate mantises when you find them, stay aware of feeder placement, and check your setup regularly.

Your feeder is still a net positive — a reliable food source that helps hummingbirds thrive through migration and nesting season.