Do Birds Eat Ants?

Bird’s diet consists of various foods such as seeds, insects, fruits, veggies, etc. But ants are not the usual food of birds. That is why many people are confused that do birds eat ants or not.

Birds can eat ants without hesitation whenever they spot ants, but not all birds can eat ants because very few birds can enjoy ants as their food. Also, they are one of the important parts of the birds that eat ants.

Are Ants Harmful To Birds?

No, ants are not harmful to birds at all. But there is a type of ant that can be harmful to the bird, and it is the fire ant.

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They can sting baby birds, which causes a lot of pain; in some serious cases, these ants even kill baby birds. So, baby birds can be in danger because of ants and other birds are not, and ants are not a part of a baby bird’s diet.

Birds can feed on ants as they are completely safe for them. Although they are tiny living organisms, they still have a very large amount of important nutrients for birds.

These nutrients help the birds strengthen their muscles. Birds get a lot of energy after eating ants and become so strong that they can fly for a long time.

Ants also have zinc, iron, potassium, and some important proteins that help them in their growth and improve their health. All birds eat ants, making a good portion of food for them.

Do Birds Like Eating Ants?

Yes, some birds like to eat ants daily. Ants are yummy! Birds also feed their chicks with them, and birds seem to be fine with it.

Ants are a favorite food of many types of birds, including robins and hummingbirds. Birds are omnivores, meaning they eat both meat and plants.

In the wintertime, when it is harder to find bugs or berries to eat, ants can provide an important source of food for some bird species.

Those birds who love to eat ants are grouse, wrens, antbirds, wild turkeys, crows, hummingbirds, starlings, sparrows, pheasants, pigeons, and woodpeckers.

However, not all birds will choose ants over other types of food, and those who do might only be eating ants because they have little access to more nutritious foods when fruits and insects become scarce in the winter.

Ants that birds mostly eat include black garden ants, carpenter ants, red ants, and flying ants, and purple martin loves to eat fire ants when they are hungry.

Do Birds Eat Ants In The Garden?

Yes, birds eat ants in the garden. Ants are high in protein and are a fine addition to any bird’s diet.

Birds will forage for food and will eat whatever is available, so you may find that your birds also feed on aphids or caterpillars in your garden.

As a replacement for insecticides and ant sprays, birds are used to get rid of ants in the garden. Wrens, crows, and sparrows of them visit gardens and lawns to eat these small insects.

Ants are part of a bird’s diet and can be eaten daily. In the garden, ants are available in abundant numbers and work as an excellent food source for all birds.

To attract birds in the garden, you must keep the grass trimmed so that woodpeckers and other birds get attracted to the garden and eat ants.

Trimmed grass helps birds in searching ants more clearly. You can also add bird feeders in the garden to increase the number of birds.

Do Birds Eat Ant’s Eggs?

Yes, some birds do eat ants’ eggs. They can find ant eggs under paving slabs easily, especially in summer.

Birds eat ants’ eggs because they are high in protein, contain a lot of calcium, and are rich in vitamins.

Ant eggs make birds strong. Birds such as waxwings and thrushes would happily eat ants’ eggs and larvae if given a chance.

Some other birds that love eating ant eggs are Downy Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, European Green Woodpeckers, and Pileated Woodpeckers.

Do Birds Eat Ant Bait?

No, birds can not eat ant bait. Bait is basically used in traps to kill ants. Suppose you notice a lot of ants in your house and do not want to kill them by allowing birds in your home. Then you can go for a bait trap.

There are some plastic containers that have a liquid in them that tastes very sweet. Another thing is borax, which is used for lacing. Ants climb on them, take them to their homes, and then eat them. The borax that was in the bait trap is very poisonous to ants.

Do Birds Eat Carpenter ants?

Birds can eat carpenter ants and can be found in North America. Birds love to eat them, including starlings, wild turkeys, American crows, blue jays, white-eyed vireo, and woodpeckers.

Small woodpeckers, crow-sized, and red-topped pileated woodpeckers, eat more ants than other birds. Not just this, some songbirds also love to eat carpenter ants.

Do Ants Kill Birds?

Yes, ants can kill birds. They can kill baby birds (not all ants can do so). They can also eat the bird’s food, crawl over it, or carry it away to their nest. Fire ants and carpenter ants eat dead birds, and they do not eat them alive.

This is not a complete list of all the ways ants kill birds.

  • Ants are super small and can crawl into little cracks and crevices in bird nests to find eggs or baby birds.
  • Some ants will drag birds off to their nest so that others will not see them. That might include baby birds!

Ants themselves rarely kill anything, and they are much too small for that. They live in colonies of up to 20 million individuals with one ant queen and do more serving than conquering these days.

However, their large numbers can destroy crops and inflict painful bites if a bird comes into contact with them.

Last Words

As we got to know, birds can eat ants whenever they get a chance to feed on them. If you are facing a problem due to lots of ants in your garden or backyard, you can attract birds who eat ants, such as hummingbirds, starlings, sparrows, etc.

To attract these birds, you need to keep their favorite foods near the place where lots of ants are present. Also, do not serve them a lot of food because they will not get attracted to the ants for eating.

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