This seems to be a popular question around the hummingbird arena. Regular tap water and sugar is okay to use. I would not use bottled water or any type that has had anything done to it. I found a page for you that might be helpful
Source(s):
http://www.yardenvy.com/pages/hummingbirdtips.htm

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Homemade hummingbird nectar is perfectly safe.

Try a mixture of 1 part sugar for 4 parts of water.
Boil the mixture so that it can become supersaturated.
Let it cool then serve and the hummingbirds should be flocking to you in no time!
Source(s):
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/nature/hummingbird-food.shtml

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Sugar and water should be safe for your hummingbirds. The only way a hummingbird would be affected adversely to sugar and water is when its moldy. Just be sure not to use red dye, or any color dye, as the hummingbird may not react well to this.

You can find out more here on bird feeders in general:

The Scoop on Wild Birds and Feeders

Here is the recipe from the link above:

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Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

Use 1 part sugar to 4 parts water mixture. (example: 1cup white sugar + 4 cups water)
1. Boil the water. Measure after.

2. Add the sugar while hot and stir until all the granules are dissolved.

3. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature before filling clean feeders.

4. Refrigerate any leftover solution.

Boiling will kill any bacteria or mold spores which may be present. It will also reduce any chlorine or fluorine that is in the water.

Measuring the water after boiling prevents the amount of water used from being reduced by boiling and therefore making the solution too strong.

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Source(s):
http://www.the-scoop-on-wild-birds-and-feeders.com/hummingbirdfood.html

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We do that but the key is red food color. They will not attract without the red!
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We feed our hummers a mixture of 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. We use plain old water (from a well - no "city water" out here) and granulated sugar right out of the bag.
Usually microwave 4 cups of water in a big glass mixing bowl and then just stir in the sugar. Stick it in the fridge for a couple hours to cool down and then dump it into the feeders.
The hummingbirds love it.
Source(s):
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/nature/hummingbird-food.shtml

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Yes it is, but foodcoloring not so much. Plain sugar water is safer than most commercial hummingbird foods. It should be boiled tough, to kill any bacteria.
Source(s):
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/WebCam/humm...

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I'm sure a thousand people will say it's okay, but creating a situation where wild animals become dependent on a high calorie, low nutrient 'fast food' is never a good thing. It may not kill the birds, but it can hardly be considered good for them.

A related example would be giving bread to ducks and seagulls. They'll eat as much as you can give them, but it's not healthy for them and causes long-term health problems.

Is this really something you want to do? Nectar has nutrients that sugar water does not. You could be causing long term negative effects to the local birds you love so much, just so you can have something pretty to look at.
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