Black bear drinks from hummingbird feeder in Wisconsin

A 16-year-old boy was mauled to death by a black bear in Alaska on Sunday while running a mountain race, state troopers said. (AP)

An expanding bear range means more of us are seeing and coming in contact with a creature that by nature is shy and elusive. But it's food that drives a black bear. They're an adaptive and opportunistic forager, which means black bears are learning to tolerate humans especially if food can be found.

Christine Schreiner sent Fox 9 this video of a bear drinking the sweet nectar from her hummingbird feeder in Wisconsin.

Bird feeders are a regular attractant and once a bear finds them, they'll keep coming back. So if you don't like seeing them, the solution is simple.

“The only thing you can really do in the city is reduce the attractants,” said Dr. Lynn Rogers of the North American Bear Center. “It's not that they want to be by people. It's all about hunger.”

he fact is black bears are ravenous eaters. The average bear consumes three to five pounds of food a day and that doubles in the fall when they're trying to fatten up for the winter.

While black bears will eat almost anything, they'd rather not.

“They prefer wild food actually, but some years there's not a lot of wild food,” said Rogers. “Especially here in the North Country where there's no acorns, only occasionally, a good hazelnut crop. You get a frost that kills the berries then the bears are into the campgrounds because they have no choice."

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