Bluebirds don't eat birdseed, right? Wrong! Sometimes they will eat hulled shelled sunflower chips and nut meats (like peanut chips). The bird to the left looks like a Chipping Sparrow - sometimes confused with a House Sparrow .
Cara S of VA caught this male in action. In the other picture, he is offering a kernel to the female. (Photo by Donna of VA.)
About 68% of a bluebird's diet is insects. They find mealworms very attractive. They do have to be trained to come to a feeder. See feeder info (training, DYI plan links, mealworm storage, etc.)
Bluebirds can also be trained to eat suet. See recipes . Peanut chips and sunflower hearts can be mixed in with the suet.
They
also like fruit -
e.g., flowering dogwood, holly, mulberry, wild
grape, Virginia creeper, pokeweed, and Viburnum. (Although
they will eat the fruit of multiflora rose
and Japanese honeysuckle, these are invasive
species , and should be eradicated.)
Pictures of bluebirds and other cavity nesters
Previous Pictures of the Week: © Original photographs are copyrighted, and may not be used without the permission of the photographer. Please honor their copyright protection. If you would like to use a photo for educational purposes, you can contact me .
Tips for photographing cavity nesters June 11, 2006 - Great Crested Flycatcher June 19, 2006 - Snake Lick June 26, 2006 - House Finch Nest July 3, 2006 - Tree Swallow in Flight July 17, 2006 - Bluebird Battle July 24, 2006 - Bear Attack August 1, 2006 - Neglected Nestboxes (House Sparrow nests)August 14, 2006 - Threesome (Bluebird Babes) August 28, 2006 - Peering (flicker) January 2007 - New Hill Trail (Sialis) February 12 2007 - Sharp-shinned? Hawk feeding on dead starling February 19, 2007 - Joe's Cafe (Suet/Mealworm Feeder) March 25, 2007 - Sunflower Eater February 2007 - Snags & Suet (Pileated Woodpeckers) May 2007 - Birdcam Shots and Birdcam Photo Album May 12, 2007 - Carolina Wren nest in a boot May 25, 2007 - Batman Bird (Tree Swallows)
June 2007 - Bluebird nest of cattails, one with leaves, and a TRES nest with maple seeds
June 20, 2007 - Nine Egger (Tree Swallow nest) June 27, 2007 - Black-capped Chickadees (funny and serious photos) July 7, 2007 - Anting and Sunbathing Red-shouldered Hawk perching on nestbox November 18, 2007 - Western Bluebirds at the Spa March 15, 2008 - Under Construction - Eastern Bluebirds Building a Nest
April 9, 2008 - Bluebird Battle in PA April 10, 2008 - Mouse Surprise April 15, 2008 - Bluebird News (nest in paper box) April 23, 2008 - My personal nightmare April 25, 2008 - Brave White-breasted Nuthatch April, 2008 - How an egg hatches May 3, 2008 - Newborn Blue (baby hatching) May 3, 2008 - Brave Blue (female on nest) May 14, 2008 - House Wren Havoc (eggs pecked) May 25, 2008 - House Wren Takeover (of nest, more pecked eggs) May 29, 2008 - Take Your Pick (parents feeding fledgling) June 10, 2008 - That Look Belongs in a Holster (female MOBL) August 23, 2008 - Cat on Nestbox September 28, 2008 - HOSP on the House October 10, 2008 - Cuddling nestlings (taken in summer time) October 27, 2008 - HOSP in flight October, 2008 - Possible double and dwarf egg in one nest December 16, 2008 - The Next Generation (children building boxes) January 22, 2009 - Blue with Cold January 28, 2009 - Prothonotary Warbler on a camper | Nest building PROW | PROW nesting in tree cavity
May, 2009 - To Kill a Mockingbird (Snake eating mockingbird - may be disturbing) May 21, 2009 - Should I Stay or Should I Go Now ? (Titmouse nestling in box) May 25, 2009 - Which of these is not like the others? (Cowbird egg) May 23, 2009 - The Honeypot at the end of the rainbow (bumblebee nest) June 20, 2009 - House Wren nest decorated with Western Bluebird feathers June 20, 2009 - Wonderful WEBLS of WA June 20, 2009 - Bluebirds of Bickleton July 12, 2009 - Hairy Shrimp (newborn bluebirds) July 2009 - Diet (bluebird with earthworm in beak) July 2009 - Bluebirds nesting outside of cavity July 19, 2009 - HOSP on Holiday July 20, 2009 - Pink bluebird eggs August 2, 2009 - Pinkies (baby mice) August 2, 2009 - En garde (male bluebird in box) September 29, 2009 - 1917 instructions for bird house construction I forget when - Rainbox
HOME Basics | Resources | House Sparrows | House Wrens | Nest/Egg ID | Site Map and Search | Suet
Recipes | Tree Swallows | Contact me Bluebird Conservation
May all your blues be birds!
Photo in header
by Wendell
Long . If you experience problems with the website/find
broken links/have suggestions/corrections , please contact me !http://www.sialis.org or
a citation for the author .
No permission is granted for commercial use. disclaimer ,
necessitated by today's sadly litigious world. Chimalis .
