Will a praying mantis kill a hummingbird at my feeder?

The short answer

• Yes. A review of 147 recorded bird captures by mantids found 114 were hummingbirds and 113 were in the United States, almost all in yards, gardens and parks where feeders or flowers drew the birds in.
• Once a mantis has a hummingbird, the bird usually dies: 115 of the 147 were eaten, birds escaped on their own only 3 times, and people freed 26. Birds have died within one to a few minutes, so act at once.
• The danger comes from large adult females, which exist only from late summer until the first hard frost. That is also the fall hummingbird passage, so look over every nectar feeder once a day from August until frost.
• A mantis strikes at prey 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in) away while gripping its perch with four legs. Any mantis on the feeder or on a stem within reach of a port is in position. Lift it off with a stick and carry it well away.
• Do not buy mantis egg cases for a hummingbird garden. Both introduced and native mantids kill hummingbirds, and extension entomologists rate their pest control value as small.

Yes. A large praying mantis can catch and eat a hummingbird, and it does so most often at feeders. In 2017, Martin Nyffeler, Michael Maxwell and J. V. Remsen compiled every record they could find of mantids catching birds: 147 cases, 114 of them hummingbirds, 113 in the United States. Of those 113, 110 happened in gardens, yards, nature centers, sanctuaries or parks where hummingbirds "were attracted to feeders or flowers." And the bird usually lost: 115 of the 147 were eaten.

Two answers circulate. A University of Florida extension agent wrote in 2018 that a kill is "very rare" and that a mantis on a feeder is most likely there for the insects. The 2017 review concludes that mantids "frequently prey on hummingbirds in gardens in North America." Both are reading the same thin evidence, because nobody has counted how many feeders a mantis visits without a kill. What the record does settle is the part that matters at your feeder: a mantis that catches a hummingbird almost always kills it, and the person standing nearby is the bird's best chance. Treat a large mantis on a nectar feeder as a threat, and move it.

Which mantids can do it#

The review found the bird-catchers "tended to be relatively large, typically at least 6 cm in body length," and every one whose sex could be determined was female. A well-fed female of the biggest genera can weigh up to 7 g. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird weighs about 3 g, and the review puts the hummingbirds it found at 3 to 6 g, so the mantis can outweigh its prey twice over.

It is not only the imports. Among 43 US photos where both animals could be identified, 25 captures were by the introduced Chinese and European mantids and 18 by native Stagmomantis. Introduced species did most of the killing in the East and natives in the West, where the victims included Black-chinned, Allen's, Broad-tailed, Rufous and Anna's Hummingbirds. The authors note a bird kill recorded in 1888, before any introduced mantid had been found in North America.

The window: late summer to the first hard frost#

Mantids in cold-winter regions live one season. Connecticut's Agricultural Experiment Station says adults "begin to appear in the late summer," females lay their egg cases in the fall and die soon after, and any still active "are killed by the first hard frost." Colorado State puts the end "usually by late September or early October."

That window lies over the fall hummingbird passage. On our hummingbird feeder timing page, last sightings run from mid September in southern Canada to late September or early October at 40 N. The birds at your feeder then are mostly juveniles and migrants on unfamiliar ground. The mantids are at full adult size, and the females are close to laying.

So the working rule: from the first big mantis you see in August until your first hard frost, look over every nectar feeder once a day. In the Gulf states, Florida and southern California, where frost comes late or not at all, none of our sources gives an end date, so keep looking for as long as you see adults.

The strike zone is 2 to 4 inches#

The review describes the attack precisely. When a bird comes within strike distance, "usually 5-10 cm," the mantis strikes with its two front legs "while holding to its perch with its four other legs." In about two thirds of cases the bird was bitten in the head, neck or throat, and birds have died "within one to a few minutes after capture."

That turns into three places to look:

1. The feeder itself. Ports, the perch ring, the base of a bottle and the top of the hanger. A mantis anywhere on the feeder is within 4 in of a feeding bird.
2. Foliage touching or nearly touching the feeder. A stem within 4 in of a port is a perch in range. Connecticut notes that adult mantids "rarely fly," which is why both Audubon and Florida say to hang the feeder away from shrubs and trees. Our reading is that most mantids reach a feeder by walking on from something touching it.
3. Flowers the hummingbirds work. Several of the recorded kills were on garden plants, not feeders. A mantis on a bloom spike is the same threat.

What to do when you find one#

1. Lift it off with a stick. Audubon and the University of Florida both give this method. Florida says to set the mantis in a nearby shrub; we would carry it to the far side of the yard, since the shrub beside the feeder is where it came from.
2. Check again tomorrow. One removal does not end the season. A daily look until frost does.
3. Take away the insect draw. Florida's agent thinks the mantis is there for the insects a feeder attracts. A dripping bottle or sticky port pulls in bees and wasps; a dry saucer design draws far fewer. See bees and wasps at nectar feeders, saucer vs inverted feeders and ants on hummingbird feeders for the leak.
4. Consider a wide cover above it. Audubon suggests one as a deterrent. No study we found tested it, so treat it as an extra, not the fix.
5. Spray nothing. Insecticide on or near a nectar feeder puts the hummingbirds at risk before it does the mantis, for the reasons on the bees and wasps page. Keep the nectar plain 4:1, as in the nectar recipe; its strength has no bearing on mantids.

If a hummingbird is already caught#

Move now. In the review, birds broke free on their own only 3 times out of 147. People freed 26, usually after hearing distress calls or the noise of the wings. Pull the mantis away by hand or with a stick. Connecticut says mantids are not venomous and injuries to people are rare, though one may strike at your fingers. The review records a larger bird, a Blue-headed Vireo, that "flew away apparently unharmed" once observers separated it from the mantis.

A hummingbird that cannot fly, or has a wound on the head or neck where mantids bite, needs a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, the same advice our window strikes page gives for a stunned bird. Do not try to keep it.

Do not buy mantis egg cases for a hummingbird yard#

Connecticut notes that egg cases are "occasionally available for sale by garden suppliers," and that mantids "will catch and eat bumble bees and butterflies just as readily as they do mosquitoes and stink bugs." Colorado State says releasing eggs gives "little pest management benefit," and Kentucky rates their value small next to lady beetles and lacewings, because mantids eat each other. Against that, the review's authors "suggest caution in use of large-sized mantids, particularly non-native mantids, in gardens." One case can hold 12 to 400 eggs (Kentucky).

You do not need to hunt down every egg case either. Mantids in your beds are eating insects, and the frost ends them. The goal is narrower: mantids in the garden, not on the feeder.

Where this page stops#

• No rate. The 147 records come from papers, newspapers, blogs and uploaded photos, and two thirds date from 2000 to 2015, which the authors put down to internet photos and the popularity of feeders. Nobody knows what share of yards with mantids lose a bird.
• No tested fixes. Distance, covers and daily checks are agency advice and our reasoning, not measured results.
• Florida and the warm South. Florida has 11 mantis species, most 1 to 4 in, and no source here gives their adult season.
• Canada. The review found one Canadian record.

Hummingbirds have other night and day threats: nectar bats along the border, cats under low feeders and hawks at the seed feeders nearby. The mantis season is also when counting hummingbirds is hardest, because late summer and migration bring the most birds you never see together. When the season ends, the fall feeding page covers what to change. Every other symptom is matched to a cause in the problems section.

Frequently asked questions#

Can a praying mantis really kill a hummingbird?

Yes. A 2017 review in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology compiled 147 cases of mantids catching small birds, and 114 were hummingbirds, mostly Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in the eastern US. In 115 of the 147 cases the mantis ate the bird. Hummingbirds weigh 3 to 6 g, and a well-fed female of the largest mantids can weigh up to 7 g, so the mantis can outweigh its prey. It strikes with its front legs and usually bites the head or neck.

What should I do if I find a praying mantis on my hummingbird feeder?

Lift it off with a stick, the method both Audubon and the University of Florida give, and carry it to the far side of the yard rather than the shrub next to the feeder. Then look at why it was there: a feeder hung against foliage gives a mantis a way on, and one that draws bees and wasps gives it a reason to stay. Check the feeder once a day until the first hard frost.

Should I kill praying mantises to protect hummingbirds?

There is no need to. Mantids die at the first hard frost anyway, and the ones in your beds are eating insects, not birds. The risk is a mantis on or right beside a nectar feeder, so move that one. What you should not do is add more: Connecticut's Agricultural Experiment Station notes egg cases are sold by garden suppliers, and the authors of the bird review advise caution with large mantids in gardens.

Are only Chinese mantises dangerous to hummingbirds?

No. Among 43 US photos where both animals could be identified, 25 captures were by the introduced Chinese and European mantids and 18 by native Stagmomantis species, such as the Carolina and bordered mantids. Introduced species did most of the killing in the East and native ones in the West, and a bird kill was recorded in 1888, before the first introduced mantid was found in North America.

How do I free a hummingbird caught by a mantis?

Quickly, because birds have died within one to a few minutes of capture. Separate the mantis from the bird by hand or with a stick. Mantids are not venomous, though one may strike at your fingers. In the 2017 review, people freed 26 birds, usually after hearing distress calls or wing noise. If the bird cannot fly, or is bleeding from the head or neck, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator rather than keeping it.

Sources and further reading

1. Bird Predation by Praying Mantises: A Global Perspective (Wilson Journal of Ornithology 129(2):331-344, 2017) Martin Nyffeler, Michael R. Maxwell and J. V. Remsen, via BioOne 147 captures in 13 countries; 113 in the US, 110 of them in gardens, yards, nature centers, sanctuaries and parks with feeders or flowers; 114 hummingbirds; 26 states, most from NY, NC, TX, AZ, CA; 115 eaten, 3 escaped, 26 freed by people; death within one to a few minutes; strike at 5 to 10 cm holding the perch with four legs; about two thirds bitten in head, neck or throat; all mantids female as far as could be determined; mantids typically at least 6 cm; large females up to 7 g; hummingbirds 3 to 6 g; 25 of 43 identified US photos non-native, 18 native Stagmomantis; 1888 record predates introduced mantids; caution on releasing large mantids
2. Mantids (Order Mantodea, Family Mantidae) Katherine Dugas, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Chinese mantis (found about 1902) and European mantis (1890s) both introduced; Carolina mantis rare in the Northeast; adults 3 to 4 in, rarely fly; adults appear in late summer; females lay egg cases in fall and die; survivors killed by the first hard frost; can attack hummingbirds; not venomous; egg cases sold by garden suppliers; eat bumble bees and butterflies as readily as pests
3. Mantids of Colorado (published 2002, reviewed August 2025) W. S. Cranshaw, Colorado State University Extension Seven species, five native; Chinese mantid 10 to 11 cm, European 50 to 75 mm, Carolina, California and bordered 48 to 65 mm; all die at season's end, usually by late September or early October; egg cases on rocks, buildings, fences, trees and dried stems; egg release gives little pest management benefit; diet largely flies, gnats, bees and other insects that do not harm plants
4. ENTFACT-418: Praying Mantids (revised January 2026) Gary Watkins and Ric Bessin, University of Kentucky Entomology Carolina about 2 in, European about 3 in, Chinese 3 to 5 in; 12 to 400 eggs per case; nymphs emerge in spring; one generation a year; value small compared with lady beetles and lacewings because of cannibalism
5. Really? Praying Mantis will Stalk and Kill Hummingbirds (4 Sep 2018) Rick O'Connor, UF/IFAS Extension Escambia County 11 mantis species in Florida, most 1 to 4 in; calls hummingbird kills very rare; mantis likely on the feeder for the insects it attracts; move the feeder away from shrubs and trees; move a mantis with a stick
6. Praying Mantis vs. Hummingbird (8 Oct 2014) Manon Verchot, National Audubon Society Mantids and hummingbirds about the same length on average; hunger widens what a mantis treats as prey; hang feeders away from shrubbery, add a wide cover above, move a mantis with a stick