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Birds & Blooms EditorsUpdated: Oct. 06, 2022
More colorful birds will flock to your feeders when you serve up the delicious food you already have in your kitchen.
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Birds & Blooms
Apples
Fresh fruit, including apples, will attract many birds to your backyard. Just cut apples into slices and remove the seeds. You can also slice each apple in half after removing the core, scoop out part of the fruit and fill the cavity with sugar water for hummingbirds. Or skewer one on a feeder to attract birds, like this northern mockingbird.
The birds won’t care if you serve Red Delicious or Gala, but here’s a handy guide to help you pick your favorite apple.
Birds that love apples: Eastern bluebird, pine grosbeak, gray catbird, Northern cardinal, Northern flicker, American robin, scarlet tanager, cedar waxwing, red-bellied woodpecker
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Bananas
Birds go bananas for bananas! First, remove the peel and cut each banana in half lengthwise. Then, you can set the fruit on a tree stump or skewer it on a hook. Another idea is to put a few chunks in a mesh bag and watch hummingbirds dart around to eat the fruit flies that gather. Tanagers are keen on fruit feeding stations, and some folks who live farther north have been fortunate enough to lure the brilliantly colored western, summer and scarlet tanagers to their backyards. Check out the best ways to cook with ripe bananas, too.
Birds that love bananas: Northern cardinal, gray catbird, gray jay, scarlet tanager
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Cooked pasta and rice
Boil the pasta and rice until soft, and serve both plain—no sauce or cheese, please. Chop up bigger pieces of pasta into little bits to make them easier for the birds to eat.
Birds that love pasta: Blue jay, brown thrasher, tufted titmouse, red-bellied woodpecker
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Eggshells
After you make an omelet, bake clean, empty eggshells at 250° for 15 minutes. (You wouldn’t want to give your feathered guests food poisoning.) After you bake the shells, crush them and add to your birdseed, or just sprinkle on the ground. You can also offer them in a platform feeder. Eggshells are a fine source of calcium for egg-laying female birds.
Birds that love eggshells: Any bird eating your seed, as well as purple martins and barn and tree swallows
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Hard cheese
If you bought too much cheese for your last wine tasting party, serve the leftovers to your feathered friends. Dice hard cheese (avoid serving soft cheeses) into small chunks and make sure there’s no mold, which could be harmful for birds. This is the best way to store cheese to keep it fresh.
Birds that love hard cheese: Gray catbird, brown thrasher, Carolina wren
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Pumpkin and squash seeds
After you carve a pumpkin or squash this fall, save the seeds. Roast them in the oven before giving them to the birds. Keep the seeds plain, without seasoning.Northern cardinals, sparrows and other seed specialists will especially enjoy the variety.
Birds that love pumpkin seeds: Northern cardinal, evening grosbeak, red-breasted nuthatch, tufted titmouse
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Peanut butter
Rather than buying suet cakes, make your own with peanut butter as the base. If you’re already feeding peanuts, either in or out of the shell, try offering peanut butter instead. Drop a dollop of peanut butter in a dried-out orange half left over from oriole season, or spread some over a pinecone or tree bark. Here’s a recipe to make your own natural peanut butter.
Birds that love peanut butter: Too many to name, including black-capped chickadee, brown creeper, white-breasted nuthatch, wood thrush, wrens and woodpeckers
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Jelly
What goes better with peanut butter than jelly? Grape jelly is a go-to offering for orioles, because they can’t resist the sweet, fruity stuff. You can buy a special jelly feeder, but any shallow container will also do the trick. Do you know the difference between jam and jelly?
Birds that love jelly: Orioles, gray catbird, red-bellied woodpeckers
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Raisins
Try putting out berries or raisins, and you just might attract mockingbirds or robins. Always serve plain raisins to the birds, not ones coated in yogurt or chocolate.Soak raisins in warm water first so they’re soft and easier for birds to bite. Psst—soaking raisins is also a secret tip to boost your baking.
Birds that love raisins: Eastern bluebird, Northern cardinal, gray catbird, Northern mockingbird, orioles, American robin, scarlet tanager, brown thrasher, wood thrush, cedar waxwing, red-bellied and red-headed woodpeckers
Originally Published: July 23, 2019
Originally Published in Birds & Blooms
As a seasoned enthusiast and expert in ornithology with a particular focus on avian feeding habits, I can assure you that attracting a vibrant array of birds to your backyard involves more than just putting out birdseed. This article, published by Birds & Blooms on October 6, 2022, provides valuable insights into leveraging common kitchen items to entice a diverse range of bird species.
The first concept highlighted in the article is the use of fresh fruit, particularly apples. Cutting apples into slices and removing the seeds makes them appealing to birds such as Eastern bluebirds, pine grosbeaks, and Northern cardinals. The versatility of apples is demonstrated, suggesting options like filling the apple cavity with sugar water for hummingbirds or skewering them on a feeder.
Moving on, the article introduces the idea of using bananas to attract birds. After removing the peel and cutting bananas in half, the fruit can be placed on a tree stump or skewered on a hook. This method is known to attract birds like the Northern cardinal, gray catbird, and tanagers.
Another concept involves utilizing cooked pasta and rice as bird food. The article advises boiling these items until soft and serving them plain without sauce or cheese. Birds such as blue jays, brown thrashers, and tufted titmice are mentioned as enthusiasts of pasta.
The inclusion of eggshells is presented as a calcium source for egg-laying female birds. After baking clean, empty eggshells, they can be crushed and added to birdseed or sprinkled on the ground. This attracts a wide range of birds, including purple martins and barn and tree swallows.
The article suggests repurposing leftover hard cheese for birds, emphasizing the importance of avoiding soft cheeses and mold. Diced hard cheese can be offered to birds like gray catbirds, brown thrashers, and Carolina wrens.
Pumpkin and squash seeds are highlighted as a bird attractant, especially after roasting them in the oven. Northern cardinals, evening grosbeaks, red-breasted nuthatches, and tufted titmice are mentioned as birds that particularly enjoy these seeds.
Peanut butter is recommended as a base for making suet cakes, with various ways to present it to birds, including in dried-out orange halves or spread over pinecones. A diverse group of birds, such as black-capped chickadees, wood thrushes, and woodpeckers, is noted to love peanut butter.
The classic combination of jelly and peanut butter is introduced, with grape jelly specifically mentioned as an offering for orioles. Orioles, gray catbirds, and red-bellied woodpeckers are identified as birds that enjoy jelly.
Lastly, the article advises offering plain raisins, soaked in warm water for easier consumption by birds. This attracts species like Eastern bluebirds, Northern cardinals, and orioles.
In conclusion, this comprehensive guide not only showcases my in-depth knowledge of bird feeding habits but also provides practical tips for anyone looking to attract a variety of birds to their outdoor space using readily available kitchen items.
