What Do Eastern Blue Birds Eat? A Complete Guide!

What Do Eastern Blue Bird Eat

Eastern bluebirds are small or medium-sized birds native to North America. These birds belong to the Turdidae family and come under song birds. The plumage of these birds is covered by three colors the wings are mostly comprised of light blue color and the chest is of orange or white color. Total eight subspecies come under the Eastern bluebirds group of birds with the main species Sialia sialis.

Feeding behavior

Eastern bluebirds are able to feed on small seeds, grains, and small invertebrates as well. These birds come under the category of omnivores and have a feeding behavior known as foraging behavior. Foraging feeding is a behavior in which an organism spends most of its time in search of food and mostly applies the voracious approach to food. Although it is common for these birds to feed on a variety of plant-based and animal-based foods the most preferred feed materials by these birds are small insects and small invertebrates.

In a study conducted by the USA biological department, it is assessed that 68% of the feeding material of these birds is comprised of small insects and small invertebrates.  The remaining 32% of feed consists of mostly plant-based materials like berries and seeds. These birds are partial migrators. The migration started in the upper regions of North America and ends in the lower regions. The main reason for this migration is the unavailability of feed material in the upper regions of North America.  

The most preferred natural food by these birds includes berries of different plants and larvae of some insects as mealworms. The diets of young and newborn eastern bluebirds also differ. The mature birds are able to feed on the seeds grains and insects that have tough outer shells but the young ones are fed on soft feed material like the larvae of some insects and soft berries of some plants. The eastern bluebird’s parents collect food from different sources and then nurture their young ones in the nests.

The nests of these birds are also targeted by some the predators like flying squirrels, chipmunks, rats, snakes, and domestic cats. Some carnivorous birds also attack the nests of these birds and damage their eggs and young ones, which are not able to escape.

Eastern Blue Bird

What Do Bluebird Eat?

Table: Feed materials of Adult and Baby eastern bluebirds:

Eastern bluebirds (Plant base )Eastern bluebirds (Animal base)Baby eastern bluebirds (Larvae)
Black berriesBeetlesMeal worms (Larvae)
HoneysuckleGrasshoppersSoft berries
Dog woodCricketsSoft bodied snails
Red cedarSow bugs 
Red grapesSpiders 
Wild grapesEarth worms 
Small seedsMillipedes 
Small grainsCentipedes 
Sunflower heartsSuet 
Cornmeal muffinsSnails 

During the warm days of the year, the bluebirds easily find food, but during the cold days, the availability of food is reduced, and the survival of these birds, especially those who feed their newborns, becomes difficult. In these hard days, a birdfeeder can feed different types of feeds to these birds and help them survive.

A bird feeder has multiple choices to feed these birds like mealworms, softened fruits or seeds, cornmeal muffins, suet, and sunflower hearts. Mealworms are a preferred diet for those birds which are feeding their child’s or passing from their reproductive stage. This insect-based diet has a huge amount of energy and fills the requirement of energy required during spawning and nesting.

Mealworms

Mealworm bird feed is a type of feed that is prepared from the larvae form of darkling beetles. It is a highly recommended diet because it comprises of essential nutrients like proteins, fats, and minerals. This feed is largely available in the market and if a birdfeeder purchases it in large quantity it will be more economical. Mealworm feed is best to serve in the smooth edges plastic or ceramic containers as the worms can’t move away from the container.

Suet

Bluebirds also feed on the suet. Suet is a fat-based meal that is made from the fats of different cattle. The suet that is available commercially on the market is mostly cheap and also contains sunflower seeds and wheat or rice bran.

Other foods

During the hard weather conditions, the bluebirds can feed on different types of feeds but as the summer comes again and the availability of food is easy, these birds feed on wild types of feed. During harsh conditions, a birdfeeder can be used with cornmeal muffins, sunflower cakes, soft berries, soft seeds, honeysuckle, and dogwood as feed. All of the feeds are easily purchased from the market.

Feeders

Two types of feeders are commonly used to feed bluebirds. The first one is Jail bluebird feeder and the second is Gilbertson bluebird feeder.

Jail bluebird feeder

It is a good type of birdfeeder because it is specially designed for small birds like bluebirds. It only allows entry to small birds and hinders to larger birds like robins. The feeder comprises a dish in the middle that is covered by a shelter. The jail feeder has a few entrances that are sized between 1 and 2’’. These allow only small birds to enter and the feeder saves the feed from large birds.

Gilbertson bluebird feeder

This type of feeder has the same structure as the jail bluebird feeder, with some variations. It is specially designed for mealworm feed. The entrances of this feeder are smaller in size than the jail birdfeeder as it more strictly restricts the entry of larger birds and saves the mealworms from larger birds.

Migration for food

As we all know, bird migration is common and can span thousands of kilometers around the world. Not all but many of the bird’s species show migratory behavior but the objective of migration varies from one species to another.

The eastern bluebirds also show migrations. These migrations are done in search of feed material. These birds primarily perch in North America’s high altitudes, and when the appropriate time comes when food is scarce, they migrate from the higher regions to the lower grounds. The main landing areas for these birds are farmlands, grasslands, and vast forestlands. These birds search for food in the grass by roosting and in the soil.

Seasonal variations

Weather variations also affect the feeding behavior of these birds. The availability of some types of food is plentiful in summer and other types in the autumn of spring but during the winter, the scarcity of food is common. These birds mostly perch on the high points of trees. In the fall, spring, and summer, there are a lot of insects on the ground, which these birds search for by flying on the ground.

During the searching process, when these birds see their target insects or other small invertebrates in the grounds, they slow down their flights and descend on the grounds slowly by flapping their wings. As the target comes in perfect attack position they attack them and then catch them in their beaks. The summer season, or the months from May to October, is very easy for these birds because during these days, plentiful food is available in the grounds, large amounts of insects, as well as berries.

As the winter season comes, which is full of cold, snow, and chills in most of the northern portions of these regions, the food availability becomes reduced and survival becomes difficult. At this time, these birds mostly migrate to lower grounds in search of food or may survive if they are provided food by birdfeeders.

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