Bluebirds are medium-sized birds having blue, rose beige, and plumage colors. Feeding them suitable foods is necessary and that’s why many bird lovers have asked about what do bluebirds eat?
The direct answer to the above question is bluebirds eat various foods such as insects, fruits, worms, berries, and many more which are discussed below.
Table of Contents:
- What Kind of Food Attracts Bluebirds?
- What Kind of Fruits Do Bluebirds Eat?
- Favorite Foods of Bluebirds
- What Do Baby Bluebirds Eat?
- What Do Bluebirds Eat In The Wild?
- What Do Bluebirds Eat In The Winter?
- What Do Bluebirds Eat In summer?
- What Do Eastern Bluebirds Eat?
- Do Bluebirds Eat Corn?
- Do Bluebirds Eat Dried Mealworms?
- Do Bluebirds Eat Sunflower Seeds?
- Final Words
What Kind of Food Attracts Bluebirds?
Birds have different natures and habits of eating. Because of their different natures, different foods attract birds differently. Here we will talk about bluebird foods.
Bluebirds preferably eat insects. Different sort of insects attracts them a lot. They like to eat insects to satisfy their hunger. Due to the unavailability or shortage of insects, they can also eat fruits and berries.
Also, bluebirds can eat food that includes mealworms, sunflower chips, suet, and fruits.
What Kind of Fruits Do Bluebirds Eat?
Fruits have so many nutritional benefits for humans and birds. There are many varieties and types of fruits that benefit a lot and solve many health issues by eating them. All parts of food are beneficial, and we can utilize them for different purposes.
Bluebirds like to eat insects, but they can also eat fruits when they are not able to find insects to fulfill their need for food to get energy and satisfy hunger.
The fruits that they eat are mainly small chunks of apples and pears. Full or diced berries such as raspberry or blackberry.
They can also eat some dried fruits that are not tough to eat, like raisins, cranberries, currants, and blueberries.
Can Bluebirds Eat Peanuts? (Safe or Not?)
Favorite Foods of Bluebirds
Bluebirds like to eat insects the most. That is why insects are the favorite food of bluebirds. They are also called bug eaters. They can eat hundreds of bugs in a day. Due to the changing season and weather, their food requirements change.
Their activity level and food availability bring change in their favorite food. So, favorite bluebird foods are given below.
Snails
Snails have much significant source of protein, and it has little amount of fat. They are also a significant source of iron, calcium, Vitamin A, and many other minerals found in them.
Grubs
Grubs are rich in protein, fat, and energy. It is also a great source of vitamin B1, and other essential minerals like potassium, magnesium, and part of it.
Caterpillars
Caterpillars have a high nutritional amount in them. It is believed that these insects have more protein and fat value than beef and fish.
Minerals value varies in caterpillar species, but it is in high amounts like potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, and iron. Different vitamins are also part of its nutrients.
Mollusks
Most of the essential elements that mollusks tissues consist of are sodium, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc.
Insect larvae
Insect larvae are also a good source of copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium. There are also vitamins like biotin, folic acid, pantothenic acid, and folic acid.
They also like to eat:
- Grasshoppers
- Crickets
- Beetles
- Ants
- Spiders
- Moths
- Termites
- Mosquitoes
Do Bluebirds Eat Seeds? (Know The Fact)
What Do Baby Bluebirds Eat?
It is important to consider that baby bluebirds need special attention and make it possible to provide them with the best nutritional diet that fulfills their nutritional requirements.
Baby bluebirds eat sunflower hearts and suet. As the baby is not able to eat hard fruits like pears, soft fruits should be offered. They can also eat cornmeal muffins.
These things will be better to offer them in winter or when the weather is cold if they feel cold. On the other hand, mealworms are the most appropriate food to feed baby bluebirds. They will eagerly eat it throughout the year.
So, if you have a baby bluebird, you should take good care of it because they have very demanding food needs. The demand for food usually depends on the age and size of species of baby bluebirds.
The owner should offer food to baby bluebirds every 20 to 30 minutes later. But it should be confirmed that a diet must contain sufficient protein that meets the nutritional requirements and is helpful in healthy growth.
Feed the baby bird according to the above given time duration, but if you find a not-feeding bird, observe more closely for one to two hours. Parent birds feed their baby birds in so hurry, so you should observe so that you don’t miss any feeding cycle.
If a baby bluebird is not eating properly, you should consult a licensed rehabber to provide it with proper care and diet. And feed the baby bluebird according to the diet plan prescribed by the licensed rehabber.
What Do Bluebirds Eat In The Wild?
Bluebirds are the charming colored habitat of the wild they also live in farmlands. These open fields have scattered trees, orchards, and inhabited residential areas as people like to take their pets in their houses.
So, bluebirds eat only those foods that are available easily in the wild, and their food availability changes when the weather changes. So, as mentioned above, most bluebird likes to eat insects and bugs.
In the wild, they eat mealworms, suet dough, and sunflower bits. In insects, they like to prey and eat, grasshoppers, spiders, beetles, ants, crickets, etc. Also, they want to eat flying insects such as mosquitoes, moths, and termites.
Berries are easily available in the wild, and they can also consume for hunger and nutritional benefits. They like to eat berries like sumac, dogwood, hackberries, and pokeweed and are also eaten by bluebirds.
What Do Bluebirds Eat In The Winter?
Bluebirds’ food requirements increase as winter begins. They need more nutrients and minerals to fulfill their nutritional needs.
So, fruits available in the wild and berries are the main source of their winter diet, and they like to fly to find desirable food and consume them.
The fruits they search for are red cedar, hackberry, wild grapes, dogwood, poison ivy, and other plants. Mealworms can be given to bluebirds in winter.
When the cold months (winters) start, you should also provide your bluebirds diet that consists of sunflower hearts, blueberries, currants, and softened raisins.
You can offer your bluebirds bark butter which is available in various forms in the winter. They like to pick a small portion of it that they can quickly eat.
One type of bark butter we like to mention here is bark butter bits, and it also has some nutrients in it as bark butter. The difference comes in shape.
It is small in size round-shaped pieces that birds can easily pick with their beaks and eat.
It is healthy for bluebirds. You can offer it to your birds as a handful in their feeding bowl or feeding tray. The peanuts and tree nuts are also good for bluebirds in winter. Also, pellets are available in the market that you can offer your bluebirds.
What Do Bluebirds Eat In summer?
When summer arrives, there are no significant changes happen in the bluebird’s diet. They can eat mealworms. It is an excellent food for them that they can easily consume throughout the year.
During the summer and spring seasons, as this period is bluebirds’ reproduction cycle, they need extra calcium, especially female bluebirds who need more calcium to complete their deficiency during egg production.
They like to consume eggshell bits to fulfill their nutritional requirements in summer. Otherwise, they eat suet dough, sunflower bit or sunflower hearts, and fruits.
What Do Eastern Bluebirds Eat?
Eastern bluebirds mostly like to eat insects of different types and berries. The insects eastern bluebirds like to eat are mentioned below.
- Beetles
- Crickets
- Grasshoppers
- Spiders
- Snails
- Earthworms
- Small size lizards (rarely eat)
- Tree frogs (rarely eaten)
Do Bluebirds Eat Corn?
Corn has so many nutrients in it, and it is as beneficial for birds as for humans. Many birds appreciate eating corn, but when we talk about bluebirds, they like to eat insects, but they do not appreciate it if the owner offers them corn. They can consume it but don’t like to eat it.
Do Bluebirds Eat Dried Mealworms?
Mealworms are the food that bluebirds like to eat for a whole year, and if you used to offer live mealworms to your bluebird, it might take time to accept the dried mealworms offer.
But if he is not familiar with the taste of live mealworms, it will be a great treat for him if you offer dried mealworms, and he will welcome them happily and like to eat them. In winter, dried mealworms are very beneficial for bluebirds.
Dried mealworms have so many benefits, and they give a perfect balance of protein, fat, and fiber to bluebirds that will promote their health and vigor.
The most crucial benefit of dried mealworms is they need less maintenance in comparison to live mealworms, and you can even be re-hydrated to them with a little bit of water, or you can use nectar for this purpose.
For the help purpose and convenience of the owner, dried mealworms are available in the market. You can ask about the “Dried mealworm bucket” and get it to feed your bluebirds happily and easily.
Do Bluebirds Eat Sunflower Seeds?
Bluebirds are avid eaters of insects. Mostly and commonly, they find eating insects of different types. Bluebirds either live in the wild or their habitat in residual areas.
They always prefer to eat insects, berries, and flying insects, including mosquitoes, grasshoppers, etc. Sunflower seeds have so many nutrients in them. They are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and fat.
It is a widespread food that people usually offer to their backyard birds, and they like it and happily eat it.
You can provide sunflower seeds in different ways, such as whole sunflower seeds, millet, and mixed bird seeds, but when we talk about the bluebirds, they do not like to eat sunflower seeds.
Bluebirds can eat sunflower chips if these are easily available to satisfy their hunger, and other foods will not be available in abundance. They will eat them but not feel joyful because typically, they do not like to eat the seed.
They will like to eat hulled sunflowers because they do not want the mess of shells. It is also suitable for the owner to provide a hull because when there are no shells, no remaining trash of seeds leads to keeping the place neat and clean.
Birds also try to avoid spoiling food, and it is good for you financially and for birds’ health-related issues.
So, as mentioned above, bluebirds mostly like to eat insects, and sunflower seeds are not their favorite food. They can eat it if they have no other option for eating food.
The owner needs to provide a diet to bluebirds they like to eat and have all those nutritional ingredients necessary for bluebirds’ health and growth in a better way, which helps keep them away from any illness or disease.
Final Words
Bluebirds are an attractive birds that bird lovers want to feed whenever they see them. The question always arises in every bird watcher’s mind about what do blue bluebirds eat and their favorite foods, etc.
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