Aspects ASP143 HummZinger Excel 16 oz Hanging Hummingbird Feeder (Limited Edition)

Why it's worth it

The HummZinger Excel is a shallow saucer rather than an upside-down bottle, so it doesn't drip and it comes apart into three pieces you can rinse in a minute. Six ports, a built-in ant moat, and red plastic that means you never need dye in your nectar.

Nectar feeders live or die by cleaning, and this is where the saucer design wins. Bottle-style feeders trap sugar water in narrow tubes you can't reach. The HummZinger is a dish with a lid — three parts, no crevices, and owners routinely run theirs through the dishwasher. Aspects also notes the low profile keeps nectar cooler by limiting sun exposure, which slows fermentation and mold that can sicken hummingbirds.

The built-in ant moat removes the single most common hummingbird-feeder frustration. You fill the center cup with water and ants can't cross it. Anyone who's watched a new nectar feeder turn into an ant highway within two days will understand why this matters. Bees are handled too — the raised petals around each port make it harder for them to reach the nectar while also shedding rain.

From our review of 7 bird feeders for beginners, by Genevieve Dubois, Home & Living Expert

What we like

• +Nectar feeders live or die by cleaning, and this is where the saucer design wins
• +The built-in ant moat removes the single most common hummingbird-feeder frustration
• +The bright red lid does the work that red dye is sold to do, so skip the dye entirely
• +It doesn't leak, which sounds minor until you've owned a bottle feeder

What to know

• –The brass hanging rod sometimes arrives looking tarnished or rusty out of the box
• –Hummingbirds are territorial, and a single feeder often gets claimed by one aggressive bird that chases everyone else away