Do Bluebirds Eat Corn?

Bluebirds are medium-sized birds whose plumage varies in color from blue to rose beige. Many bird watchers wonder, “What do bluebirds eat?” because it’s important to provide them with a balanced diet.

The question has a simple answer: bluebirds eat a wide range of foods, some of which are listed below.

What Kind of Food Attracts Bluebirds?

The dietary habits of one bird species may have nothing to do with another. Birds react differently to various foods due to their inherent differences. In this article, we’ll discuss what kind of food is best for bluebirds.

To get their nutrition, bluebirds rely primarily on insects. They’re particularly drawn to a wide variety of insect species. Insects are a favorite way for them to quench their appetites. Due to a lack of insects, they can also subsist on fruits and berries.

Bluebirds can get their nutrition from a variety of sources, such as fruit, suet, nut brittle, and even mealworms.

What Kind of Fruits Do Bluebirds Eat?

Fruits are a great source of healthy nutrients for both people and birds. Fruits come in a wide variety, and many of them can help with various health problems. We can get value from every element of the food chain.

Although insects are the bluebird’s preferred food source, it may also acquire the nutrients and calories it needs from fruit when it’s scarce.

They eat mostly bite-sized pieces of apples and pears for fruit. Raspberries and blackberries, whole or chopped.

Dried fruits that are not too tough to chew, such as raisins, cranberries, currants, and blueberries, can also be given to them.

Favorite Foods of Bluebirds

For the most part, bluebirds subsist on bug populations. That’s why you almost always see bluebirds feasting on insects. They’re often referred to as “bug eaters” for obvious reasons. They have the capacity to consume numerous insects daily. Their dietary needs adapt with the seasons and the weather.

Their preferred diet shifts as their degree of activity shifts and as new foods become available. Consequently, favored bluebird fare is listed below.

Snails

Protein is one of snails’ most abundant nutrients, and there is hardly any fat to be found in them. They also contain a wealth of other minerals and vitamins, including iron, calcium, and vitamin A.

Grubs

Having a high protein, high fat, and high calorie density, grubs are a great source of food. Minerals including potassium and magnesium, as well as vitamin B1, can be found in quite high concentrations in it.

Caterpillars

Caterpillars are an excellent source of protein and other nutrients. These insects are thought to be higher in protein and fat content than both beef and fish.

Caterpillar species have varying mineral content, but all have plenty of minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, and iron. The nutrients it contains additionally include several vitamins.

Mollusks 

Mollusk tissues are largely composed of sodium, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc.

Insect larvae  

The larvae of insects are rich in many minerals, including copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium. Vitamins such as biotin, folic acid, pantothenic acid, and niacin are also available.

Likewise, they have a strong appetite:

• Grasshoppers
• Crickets
• Beetles
• Ants
• Spiders
• Moths
• Termites
• Mosquitoes

What Do Baby Bluebirds Eat?

Bluebird nestlings have unique dietary needs, therefore it’s crucial to plan ahead so you can meet those needs with the greatest available food.

Bluebird nestlings eat things like suet and sunflower hearts. Since the baby can’t chew on firm foods, like pears, you should give him or her softer fruits. Cornmeal muffins are another option.

If they tend to become cold easily, these items are best presented during the winter or other cold periods. But young bluebirds should be fed only mealworms. They will happily consume it year-round.

If you happen to come into possession of a baby bluebird, you should know that it has certain dietary requirements. In general, the need for food varies among species of baby bluebirds based on their age and size.

The owner should feed the baby bluebirds every 20-30 minutes. However, it’s important to make sure you’re getting enough protein in your diet to support healthy growth.

If you locate a baby bird that isn’t feeding after the above-mentioned amount of time, keep a close eye on it for another hour or two. In order to ensure you don’t miss a feeding cycle, keep a close eye on the parents as they tend to their young.

A baby bluebird that isn’t gaining weight as it should should be taken to a professional rehabber. And make sure the baby bluebird gets its proper diet of food.

What Do Bluebirds Eat In The Wild?

Although bluebirds are commonly associated with natural settings, you can also see them in suburban and rural areas. People like to take their pets into their homes, therefore the open fields here contain a smattering of trees and orchards as well as populated places.

Bluebirds can only survive on what is readily accessible in the wild, and this varies with the seasons. So, as was said up there, the bluebird’s preferred fare consists largely of bugs and other insectivorous creatures.

Mealworms, suet dough, and sunflower bits are what they eat in the wild. Insects, such as grasshoppers, spiders, beetles, ants, crickets, and so on, are a favorite food source. In addition, they’re looking for flying insects to eat, such mosquitoes, moths, and termites.

Wild berries can satisfy hunger and provide essential nutrients. Bluebirds like a variety of berry-based foods, including sumac, dogwood, hackberries, and pokeweed.

What Do Bluebirds Eat In The Winter?

As the colder months set in, bluebirds’ appetites grow. To meet their dietary requirements, they need a greater intake of nutrients and minerals.

Their primary food source throughout the winter is therefore wild fruits and berries, and they frequently take to the air in search of these tasty morsels.

Red cedar, hackberry, wild grapes, dogwood, poison ivy, and other species are scouted for their fruit. Bluebirds benefit from mealworms in the winter.

Provide a diet of sunflower hearts, blueberries, currants, and softened raisins during the winter months for your bluebirds.

In the winter, you can feed your bluebirds a special bark butter that comes in a variety of forms. They prefer to pick out a manageable piece and eat it in one sitting.

Bark butter bits are another form of bark butter worth mentioning because they include many of the same nutrients as their full-fat counterpart. The form is what sets them apart.

Small, spherical bits make it simple for birds to pick up and eat.

As a matter of fact, bluebirds benefit from it. Put a few in the bird’s dish or on the tray you use to feed them. In the winter, bluebirds might benefit from the peanuts and tree nuts. In addition, you can purchase pellets to feed to your bluebirds.

What Do Bluebirds Eat In summer?

The bluebird’s nutrition doesn’t alter noticeably in the summer. Mealworms are a viable food source for them. It’s a great dish that they can keep on hand all year long without much trouble.

Female bluebirds, in particular, have a calcium shortage that must be made up throughout the egg-laying season (summer and spring), hence supplemental calcium is essential during this time.

In order to meet their increased dietary needs during the summer, they choose nibbling on pieces of eggshell. Otherwise, their diet consists of fruits, suet dough, and sunflower bits or hearts.

What Do Eastern Bluebirds Eat?

The diet of an eastern bluebird is primarily made up of various insects and berries. This section describes the bug species that eastern bluebirds relish.

• Beetles 
• Crickets
• Grasshoppers
• Spiders 
• Snails 
• Earthworms 
• Small size lizards (rarely eat)
• Tree frogs (rarely eaten)

Do Bluebirds Eat Corn?

Birds can benefit from corn’s abundance of nutrients just as much as humans can. Bluebirds, on the other hand, prefer insects and will be dissatisfied if their owners continue to serve them corn despite the fact that many other species of birds enjoy eating it. It’s something they can eat but would rather not.

Do Bluebirds Eat Dried Mealworms?

Although bluebirds like to eat mealworms year-round, it may take some time for your bluebird to accept dry mealworms as a food source if you have been offering live mealworms in the past.

If he has never had live mealworms before, though, he is likely to enthusiastically accept and enjoy your offering of dry mealworms. Dried mealworms are excellent food for bluebirds during the colder months of the year.

Many bluebirds find that a diet consisting of dried mealworms provides them with the ideal combination of protein, fat, and fiber needed to stay healthy and active.

Dried mealworms have many advantages over their live counterparts, the most important being that they require much less care and may be easily rehydrated with water or nectar.

Dried mealworms are sold in pet stores for the benefit of the owner. If you want to keep your bluebirds happy and healthy, all you have to do is ask for a “Dried mealworm bucket.”

Do Bluebirds Eat Sunflower Seeds?

Bluebirds mostly subsist on bug prey. Insects of various kinds make up the bulk of their diet. Bluebirds can be found in natural settings or in abandoned or neglected places.

They are most interested in eating bugs, fruit, and flying insects like mosquitoes, grasshoppers, and the like. There are a plethora of nutrients in sunflower seeds. The vitamins, minerals, and fats found in them are plentiful.

It’s a common treat that people give to the birds in their backyards, and the birds like it and eat it cheerfully.

Sunflower seeds can be offered to birds in a variety of forms, including whole sunflower seeds, millet, and mixed bird seeds, but bluebirds have been seen to avoid eating them.

Bluebirds can get their nutritional needs met by snacking on sunflower chips if they are readily accessible and other food sources are scarce. Even if they enjoy eating the fruit, they won’t be particularly happy about it because of the seed.

They prefer hulled sunflower since they don’t have to deal with the mess of shells. The absence of shells means there is no garbage or debris left over from the seeds, making it ideal for the owner to supply a hull and keep the area tidy.

It’s advantageous for your wallet and the birds’ health if the birds don’t waste any of the food you provide.

It has already been established that bluebirds prefer insects to sunflower seeds. If they are truly starving, they can consume it.

To keep bluebirds healthy and prevent them from getting sick, their owner should supply them with a food that includes all the nutrients they need to develop and thrive.

Final Words

If you’re a birder, you know how tempting it is to feed a bluebird you happen upon. Any birdwatcher worth their salt has wondered, “What do blue bluebirds eat?” or some variation thereof.