Feeding / DietPicture of the week - Sunflower Eater

Picture of the week – Sunflower Eater

EABL eating sunflower kernal

Male offers female a seed.

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.)

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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.

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