Millions of people
around the world maintain birdfeeders on their properties, bringing in
colorful songbirds that munch away at seeds, millet, nuts and suet. But
some backyard birders never realize there’s a whole other community of
birds out there who couldn’t care less about birdfeeders. They don’t
need to rely on you to fill the seed every morning, and they aren’t
impressed that you spent an extra couple of bucks on the premium mix
this week. These guys eat insects, and they can find their own food!
Insect-eating birds are among the most elusive birds that visit your backyard. Since they don’t come to your feeder, they’re often tough to spot. Many spend their time hunting in the tops of trees or deep in the bushes. A few, like the American Robin, are brazen enough to hop around in your yard searching for worms and grubs. But most require a little thought to lure close enough for viewing.
So how can you go about attracting insect-eating birds to your yard?
Insect-eating birds are among the most elusive birds that visit your backyard. Since they don’t come to your feeder, they’re often tough to spot. Many spend their time hunting in the tops of trees or deep in the bushes. A few, like the American Robin, are brazen enough to hop around in your yard searching for worms and grubs. But most require a little thought to lure close enough for viewing.
So how can you go about attracting insect-eating birds to your yard?
5 Ways to Attract Insect-eating Birds
1. Plant a garden.
A flower garden makes an excellent hunting ground for insect-eating birds, particularly if it’s densely planted. Even a vegetable garden will do nicely. Gardens attract bugs, and it won’t take long for birds to realize your backyard is a buffet of beetles, aphids, caterpillars and spiders.
On the other hand, the garden may be the reason you want to attract insect-eating birds to begin with. Birds are great for pest control, and if you plant a garden they’ll be your best friends. The suggestions below will increase your odds of bringing in more birds.
2. Put up bird boxes and houses.
Species like chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and bluebirds all eat insects, and will happily nest in a bird box if you provide one. You can mount the houses on existing structures or trees, but placing them on poles provides a little better security from predation. Be sure to check the needs of whatever species you are trying to attract. For instance, different birds will prefer different sized houses, and most birds prefer an entranceway facing away from the afternoon sun.
If you really feel adventurous about putting up bird housing, you may try attracting a colony of Purple Martins. Purple Martins are members of the swallow family, and do a great job of eating bugs. They need a certain type of housing structure and a little extra care, but once a breeding population of Martins takes up residence on your property they will come back year after year.
3. Make your backyard into a bird sanctuary.
Most birds eat bugs, even the ones that eat seeds, and providing all of the necessary components needed to make a bird happy improves your chances of attracting insect-eating birds. Make sure you include a feeder or two, a water source such as a birdbath or small fountain, and plenty of indigenous vegetation.
If you set up your yard in a bird-friendly way, before long those birds who won’t visit your feeder will be bopping around in your shrubbery. Catbirds will take advantage of low, densely planted vegetation. If you plant fruit trees, orioles and other insect eaters will love your property in the spring when the blossoms are out. Building a backyard bird habitat takes a little work, but it’s a great way to bring in a wide variety of birds which a feeder alone wouldn’t attract.
A flower garden makes an excellent hunting ground for insect-eating birds, particularly if it’s densely planted. Even a vegetable garden will do nicely. Gardens attract bugs, and it won’t take long for birds to realize your backyard is a buffet of beetles, aphids, caterpillars and spiders.
On the other hand, the garden may be the reason you want to attract insect-eating birds to begin with. Birds are great for pest control, and if you plant a garden they’ll be your best friends. The suggestions below will increase your odds of bringing in more birds.
2. Put up bird boxes and houses.
Species like chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and bluebirds all eat insects, and will happily nest in a bird box if you provide one. You can mount the houses on existing structures or trees, but placing them on poles provides a little better security from predation. Be sure to check the needs of whatever species you are trying to attract. For instance, different birds will prefer different sized houses, and most birds prefer an entranceway facing away from the afternoon sun.
If you really feel adventurous about putting up bird housing, you may try attracting a colony of Purple Martins. Purple Martins are members of the swallow family, and do a great job of eating bugs. They need a certain type of housing structure and a little extra care, but once a breeding population of Martins takes up residence on your property they will come back year after year.
3. Make your backyard into a bird sanctuary.
Most birds eat bugs, even the ones that eat seeds, and providing all of the necessary components needed to make a bird happy improves your chances of attracting insect-eating birds. Make sure you include a feeder or two, a water source such as a birdbath or small fountain, and plenty of indigenous vegetation.
If you set up your yard in a bird-friendly way, before long those birds who won’t visit your feeder will be bopping around in your shrubbery. Catbirds will take advantage of low, densely planted vegetation. If you plant fruit trees, orioles and other insect eaters will love your property in the spring when the blossoms are out. Building a backyard bird habitat takes a little work, but it’s a great way to bring in a wide variety of birds which a feeder alone wouldn’t attract.
4. Feed suet.
Suet is seed, nuts, fruit and other bird food packed into a cake made
of lard. It’s actually pretty nasty, unless you’re a bird. Suet will
attract woodpeckers and nuthatches, two notorious insect-eating
machines. Once woodpeckers decide your property is a good place to be,
you’ll hear them pecking away on dead trees in the nearby area. You’ll
see them at the suet feeder, and with a pair of binoculars you’ll be
able to spot them quite frequently looking for insects up in the trees.
They won’t do much to help your garden, but their presence makes for
some great bird watching.
Nuthatches are those funny little birds with the long beaks that hop down the side of a tree head-first. They are a species that definitely will come to your seed feeder, but just as often you’ll see them hunting for insects up and down the trunks of trees.
5. Put up a nectar feeder. Did you know that hummingbirds eat bugs as well as nectar? They’ll munch on tiny insects like ants, gnats, aphids and even mosquitoes. A flower garden plus a nectar feeder in your yard means there is a great chance you’ll see a lot of hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are a joy to watch, and many birders specialize in attracting them.
Hummingbird feeders may also attract orioles, but they require a special type of feeder to be able to extract the nectar.
Nuthatches are those funny little birds with the long beaks that hop down the side of a tree head-first. They are a species that definitely will come to your seed feeder, but just as often you’ll see them hunting for insects up and down the trunks of trees.
5. Put up a nectar feeder. Did you know that hummingbirds eat bugs as well as nectar? They’ll munch on tiny insects like ants, gnats, aphids and even mosquitoes. A flower garden plus a nectar feeder in your yard means there is a great chance you’ll see a lot of hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are a joy to watch, and many birders specialize in attracting them.
Hummingbird feeders may also attract orioles, but they require a special type of feeder to be able to extract the nectar.
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