Are hummingbirds drinking “organic” nectar? Discover why the conservation science team is collecting hummingbird urine!

By Abby Ciona, A Rocha Conservation Science & Communications Assistant (Summer 2025)

August 26, 2025

A Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) in flight.

At 5:00 am on a Friday morning in summer, most people are sleeping. But the hummingbirds are awake, and so is the Conservation Science team at the A Rocha BC Centre.

For about 10 weeks from late April to early July, researchers at A Rocha collected data on distribution and pesticide concentration in two species of hummingbirds: Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna), a year-round resident in much of BC, and Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus), which migrates more than 6000 km from Mexico in the spring.

The data collected at A Rocha BC contributes to a larger research project in Southern BC on the persistence of specific pesticides in the environment and pesticide concentrations in hummingbirds, honey bees, and flowers. Because the farm team at A Rocha BC adopts regenerative farming practices without synthetic chemicals, the site is considered a natural control site that is then compared to study sites that were exposed to pesticides.

The first step of the research is catching and banding the hummingbirds: a delicate task for a bird that weighs only a few grams.

“The health of the bird is the most important and everything else falls behind, even the scientific data,” says Alain Boisclair-Joly, a licensed bird bander, site manager for the BC Brooksdale Centre, and the lead field researcher on this project. Hummingbird banding requires specialized training and permits to ensure the tiny birds stay safe throughout the process.

Ellie gently catching a hummingbird caught in the feeder net.

Outside the Brooksdale Guesthouse, the team set up a special hummingbird feeder with a fine net above it. When a hummingbird is feeding on the sugar water, the net is released, gently trapping the hummingbird inside. If the bird hasn’t been banded, Alain carefully measures the hummingbird’s leg and gives it a tiny metal band with a unique ID. That way, if the hummingbird is caught again, researchers can better understand the bird’s health, behaviour, and migration patterns, as well as trends in the species’ population.

While researchers document age, sex, wing and beak measurements, whether it is carrying an egg, presence of parasites, and band number if it was previously banded, the main part of the study is collecting a sample of cloacal fluid (urine) from the hummingbird. Since hummingbirds have such a fast metabolism, the researchers will be able to tell if what the birds ingested during the research period was consumed locally.

Alain collecting wing measurements from an Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna).

The research so far has shown that the pesticides detected in the birds’ urine, which are used widely in blueberry farming in BC, last much longer in the environment than chemical companies might claim, and may have a wider impact on more species than just the target pest insects.

While the goal of the project is ultimately to better protect hummingbirds and other pollinators, Alain points out that the field work itself is valuable in allowing people to learn about hummingbirds through firsthand encounters.“Allowing people to [hold and] release hummingbirds impacts people for a long time more than just talking about pesticides,” he says.

Ellie Auton-Strolz, a conservation science summer assistant on the project, reflected similarly on the project. “My favourite part of the research was being given the opportunity to be in such close contact with these creatures. Interacting with these beautifully colourful, fierce little birds and feeling their fast heartbeat in your hand when holding them was an incredibly special and unique experience. This intimate interaction really felt like an opportunity of a lifetime.”