What Do Birds Eat

eat birds

The eating of birds is varied, which varies according to the types of birds , and according to the time as well. For example, during the spring and summer, songbirds feed on spiders and insects, and during the fall and winter, non-migratory birds feed on another type of food, such as: fruits and seeds,  As for the most prominent food that birds eat, it is as follows:

cereal

Grains exist in nature in more than one type; There are flower seeds, such as: sunflower seeds, seeds of coniferous trees, and seeds of wildflowers, and there are seeds of grass and herbs such as dandelion seeds, in addition to the types of grains that are used in agriculture, such as: barley, rice, wheat, corn, and others.

Grain-eating birds prefer one type of grain or seed to depend on for their diet, though most of them feed on what is readily available.

The most important types of birds that feed on grain are: 

  • Birds.
  • Quail.
  • Doves.
  • Grouse
  • Parrot.

 

fruits

Fruits are among the favorite foods of many birds. They represent a source of sugar through which they obtain energy, especially during the summer, fall and winter, which are the seasons for breeding or migration for various reasons .

It is worth noting that birds eat all kinds of fruits suitable for human consumption, even unfit ones, such as: poisonous cranberries, as well as damaged fruits or even those that have not yet ripened.

The most important types of birds that feed on fruits are: 

  • North American obesity.
  • Juniper albatross (Baltimore oriole).
  • Banana bird (Bananaquit).
  • Black-capped chickadee.

 

nectar

It is a liquid with a sweet taste and rich in energy produced by some flowers in order to attract some insects, birds and bats to carry out the pollination process. second.

The ability of flowers to produce nectar varies in terms of quantity and quality, but it mostly contains water, sugar and a small amount of proteins, carbohydrates, salts and amino acids, and it is a constantly renewable liquid.

The most important types of birds that feed on nectar are:

  • Banana birds (Bananaquits).
  • Titmouse (Chickadees).
  • Finches.
  • Flowerpeckers.
  • Hummingbirds.

insects

Insects are good food for many birds, including beetles, mosquitoes, and slugs that are often found on the ground or on tree branches and trunks, and this matter is beneficial to the environment and humans; Through it, many harmful insects or pests that may cause a significant loss in agricultural crops are eliminated.

The most important types of birds that feed on insects are: 

  • Woodpeckers (Woodpeckers).
  • Bluebirds.
  • Oriole bird.
  • Baltimore bird.
  • Bullock’s bird.

Read also: Cockatiel Bird Information

worms

Worms of all kinds and classifications are a nutritious and healthy meal for many birds. it is a good source of vitamins, proteins and minerals; Thus, it is a good meal for birds and their chicks in particular. It should be noted that worms are available in good quantities when temperatures rise in the summer.

The most important types of birds that feed on worms are: 

  • North American obesity.
  • American Woodcock.
  • Black-bellied Plover.
  • Black-tailed Godwit.
  • Clapper Rail.

fish

Fish, along with some marine life, such as: jellyfish and crustaceans, is a good meal for some birds, especially those birds that are described as carnivores, and this species has many tools that enable it to obtain fish, such as: the sharp beak of some of them or owning others. For feet with sharp and jagged edges.

The most important types of birds that feed on fish are: 

  • Albatrosses.
  • Boobies (Boobies).
  • Cormorants.
  • Pelicans (Pelicans).
  • Penguins.

Amphibians

They are small vertebrates that often need water or a humid environment in general to continue living, and this group includes many types of animals, such as: frogs, salamanders, etc., and there are many birds that feed on amphibians, which for them is a good meal and an important part from her diet.

The most important types of birds that feed on amphibians are:

  • African pygmy kingfisher.
  • Black-crowned Night-Heron.
  • Black-crowned egret (Blacksmith Lapwing).
  • Green-legged sandpiper (Common Greenshank).
  • Common Kingfisher.

reptiles

Reptiles are a good meal for many birds, and most of these reptiles are small animals that crawl on the ground in the sun. Which makes it an easy meal to get by birds that often have a lot of hunting skills and capturing other animals.

The most important types of birds that feed on reptiles are: 

  • Black Vulture.
  • Dwarf owls (Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl).
  • Great Blue Heron.
  • Great Egret (Great Egret).
  • Indigo Tern (Gull-billed Tern).

other birds

There are types of birds that feed on other birds; As it is possible for large birds to prey on smaller birds, especially those birds of prey that depend mainly on meat for their nutrition, and they often avoid large birds, and instead attack their nests to prey on the young there.

The most important types of birds that feed on other birds:

  • African Finfoot.
  • American Crow.
  • American kestrel.
  • Egret herons (Cattle Egret).
  • Cooper’s Hawk.

Mammals

This type of animal is considered a hearty and essential meal for many birds, especially carnivorous birds, and it eats many different types of them, and chooses the easiest prey to catch.  mammary.

The most important types of birds that feed on mammals are:

  • The sucker owl (Barn Owl).
  • Common buzzard.
  • Red-billed Hornbill.
  • Red-tailed goshawk.
  • Short-eared owl.

carrion

It is all that remains of the meat from the dead and decomposing animal, i.e. the corpse, which must be the result of a previous incident (the bird wishing to eat it did not cause its death, but was killed for another reason), and this carcass is often a good meal for many birds. Carnivorous.

As for the most important types of birds that feed on carrion: 

  • Eagles (Vultures).
  • Buzzards.
  • Condors.
  • Ashbur (Caracaras).
  • Crows.

eggs

Eggs from other animals are a good food source for some birds. it contains protein that greatly improves brain function; Thus, it is considered a staple meal for many birds, which often rob other birds’ nests to steal them.

The most important types of birds that feed on eggs: 

  • American Dipper bird.
  • Hood Mockingbird.
  • Laughing Gull.
  • Laysan Finch.
  • Sandpiper (Semipalmated sandpiper)

Read also: Bird Food From Home

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