Book 17, Question 107
Why Do Birds Visit Red Flowers but Bees Prefer Blue and Yellow?
Flowers use color to invite the right visitors! Birds can see red very well, but bees see colors differently, so red looks dull to them. That is why birds love red flowers and bees love blue and yellow ones.
More fun facts
- Long red tube-shaped flowers attract hummingbirds.
- White tube-shaped flowers attract hawk moths.
- More open blue or purple flowers often attract bees.
- Some flowers are specialized to be visited by certain animals.
- Hummingbirds are drawn most often to red, but also to orange and yellow.
Sources: National Geographic, National Geographic, Smithsonian
Questions kids ask
What colors do hummingbirds like best?
Most often red, but also orange and yellow.