Anyka/istockphoto
DCL
Birds are beneficial creatures. They are fun to watch, and they do some well-intentioned singing. Putting out food is just one way to attract birds to your backyard. Feeding the birds can help them weather the winter and luring birds to your yard in the summer will quash the harmful insects that you'll find buzzing around.
What foods do birds like to eat? Won't some food and drink cause birds to explode or multiply like Mogwai? And what foods are best used to attract our dandy-feathered acquaintances?
What to Feed Birds
Suet
Suet, made from beef or mutton fat, is a great way to attract insect-gobbling birds. You can obtain suet from your local butcher shop. Don't put suet out on hot days. It will spoil.
Bird Seed!
Different birds eat different seeds. Cornell University has a chart that shows which birds prefer which seeds. Seed is relatively cheap and is the standard when it comes to bird-feeding.
Table Scraps
Birds will eat human food. Despite the rumors, birds don't explode when they eat rice. That doesn't even make any sense.
Here are a few human foods that birds enjoy:
- Raisins
- Orange Peels
- Raisins
- Grapes
- Bacon (not too salty)
- Apple bits
- Cooked rice
- Coconut bits
- Cheese
- Peanut butter
- Unsalted, unbuttered popcorn
- Hulled sunflower seeds
- Sterilized Eggshells
- Ground Oyster Shells (for their gizzards)
Nectar
Hummingbirds and orioles come a'runnin' for the great taste of nectar. You can make your own nectar. Add one part sugar to four parts boiling water. Serve when cool.
You can store the nectar in your fridge for up to a week. Red food coloring is not necessary to attract birds.
Sources:
Love animals? Check out this sobering slideshow of animals that will be extinct in our lifetime.
Got a tip or a post idea for us to write about on Planet Green? Email pgtips (at) treehugger (dot) com.
