By Darcy Logan
Here are some basic guidelines for attracting some of the best insect-eating birds to your yard.Chickadees
There are three species of chickadees common to the United States: black-capped, Carolina and mountain. They do not migrate and eat both insects and seeds, even in the winter. Some of their favorite insects are aphids, caterpillars, beetles, Colorado potato beetles, weevils, flea beetles, flies, leafhoppers, treehoppers, leaf miners, moths, plant lice, scale insects, wasps and true bugs.
Chickadees will only get about one-fourth of their food from a well-stocked bird feeder. They like to eat striped and black oil sunflower seeds, peanut kernels, nutmeats, peanut butter, and suet.
Chickadees will use a birdhouse. The opening should be about 1 1/8 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter and not have a perch near it to protect them from sparrows. Mount the house on a post or tree in a sunny area about seven to ten feet off the ground. It is also a good idea to provide them with a winter roost. These are larger than birdhouses with the hole located at the bottom and several internal perches inside.
Sparrows
As a group, sparrows eat mostly seeds in the winter. During this time, it is especially important to provide them with water, as they need this to help digest their food. In the summer, however, they are known for going after ants, cabbage loopers, cucumber beetles, cutworms, leafhoppers, spruce budworms, grasshoppers, caterpillars, beetles, leafhoppers, true bugs, wasps, spiders and crickets.
To attract sparrows to your birdfeeder, fill it with millet, thistle seed, canary seeds, safflower seed, millet, nutmeats, peanut kernels and hulled oil sunflower seed. They will nest in almost any type of birdhouse, as well as anywhere else they can manage.
Titmouse
Titmice enjoy a variety of insects including ants, Japanese beetles, wasps, asparagus beetles, Mexican bean beetles, moth eggs, spiders, caterpillars, scale insects, Colorado potato beetles, cucumber beetles and other beetles. At the feeder, they will enjoy peanut kernels, sunflower hearts, sunflower seeds, nutmeats, safflower seed and thistle seed. They also like suet, suet cake and peanut butter mixes. They need a reliable source of water year round.
Titmice prefer houses that are about 4 inches square at the base and about 8 to 10 inches high. The entrance hole should be no large than 1 1/4 inches in diameter with no perch. Mount the house at least 6 feet off the ground, but no more than 15 feet high. Titmice do not migrate, so providing them with a winter roost is also a good idea. Winter roosts are similar to birdhouses with a 1 1/2 inch hole at the bottom and contain several perches inside.
Wrens
All wrens are relentless insect-eaters. Some of their favorites are ants, beetles, bees, crane flies, millipedes, cutworms, sow bugs, crickets, spiders, boll weevil, flies, stinkbugs, caterpillars, grasshoppers, wasps, chinch bugs and leafhoppers. Of the nine species of wrens that live in the United States, only the Carolina wrens and the house wren will use feeders. These birds will be attracted by sunflower, peanut hearts, fruitcake, cornbread, cottage cheese and suet.
Wrens can be attracted by birdhouses provided the houses are about 4 inches square in diameter and about 8 inches high. The entrance should be about 1 1/4 inches in diameter about 6 inches above the floor. Wrens will reuse their old nests, so do not clean out these houses at the end of the season. It is also a good idea to provide them with a winter roost.
Finches
Finches occupy almost every square inch of North America in one variety or another. They are particularly good insect catchers in the spring since young finches are not able to digest seeds at first, so their diets are composed entirely of insects. Finches are known to eat aphids, caterpillars, leafhoppers, leaf miners, spruce budworms, asparagus beetles, Colorado potato beetles, cucumber beetles, Mexican bean beetles, Japanese beetles, flea beetles and many other types of beetles.
To attract finches to your feeders, stock it full of sunflower seeds, thistle seed, safflower seeds, peanut hearts, nutmeats, millet and canary seed. They also like peanut butter, vegetables, suet and sugar-water solutions. Most species of finches will not typically use birdhouses.
Mockingbirds
Mockingbirds get their name from their ability to mimic the songs of other birds. Although they were originally native to the forests of the West and Southeast, they have slowly moved northward. They do not migrate and virtually survive on birdfeeders during the winter. During the other seasons, they are known for eating a wide variety of insects. While they prefer ants, they will also eat all kinds of beetles and grasshoppers.
Mockingbirds do not like seeds, but prefer suet, peanut kernels and peanut butter. They also love all kinds of fruits and berries. They are territorial and have been known to attack anything they perceive as an intruder - including other birds, cats, squirrels and even people. They will not use birdhouses or nesting platforms.
Nuthatches
There are four species of nuthatches living in the United States, with white-breasted and red-breasted being the most common. They are known for their ability to walk downward on tree trunks as they search for pests and insect eggs that live on or in the bark. During the summer, their diet is primarily insects.
However, nuthatches will use feeders during the other seasons. They like suspended feeders filled with striped or black oil sunflower seed, peanut kernels, melon seeds and nutmeats. They also enjoy suet mixtures, peanut butter and stale baked goods. They do not migrate, so any heated birdbath will likely attract this bird in the winter. It is also a good idea to provide them with a winter roost.
Cardinals Cardinals are excellent insect eaters since they typically need the insects to feed their young and usually raise two broods in a single season. They typically are known to feed on asparagus beetles, Mexican bean beetles, Colorado potato beetles, sow bugs, cucumber beetles, tent caterpillars, grasshoppers, tomato hornworms and Japanese beetles. They are attracted to feeders that contain sunflower seeds, safflower, cracked corn, millet, oats, and nutmeats. They will not use birdhouses. Cardinals do not migrate, so any winter water sources are also likely to attract them.
Barn Swallows
Although barn swallows tend to be annoying with their propensity for building nests over doorways, you can try to attract them elsewhere with specially designed artificial barn swallow nest cups. You can also provide them with nesting shelves and provide them with a mud tray near the nesting site. All you need to do is keep the mud wet while they are building their nests. Why would you want to attract barn swallows? Because they have a diet that is one hundred percent insect-based. With a colony of swallows in your yard, you will have no need for insecticides. Swallows reuse nests from year to year, so do not knock down the nests after they have been established.
Purple Martin
Purple martins are social birds and will only live in apartment-style birdhouses that contain at least four rooms. These houses should be mounted on poles at least 15 feet high with about 40 feet of flying space around it. Make sure the house has plenty of ventilation and drainage. Also, the houses will need to be cleaned out each fall after the martins have left.
Flycatchers
As can be presumed from their names, flycatchers have a diet that is almost entirely winged insects. They love beetles, wasps, ants, leafhoppers, grasshoppers, crickets, cucumber beetles, weevils, moths and many more. Some species, such as the phoebe, can be attracted by building a small wooden shelf under the eves of buildings. The shelf should be about 8 inches by 8 inches and about 12 inches below the eves.
Owls
A few species of owls can be attracted by specially designed owl houses. These houses are usually larger and filled with about two inches of wood shavings. If they are placed right, an owl house could attract screech owls, barn owls, barred owls or saw-whet owls. Owls have an added benefit of not only eating insects, but eating mice, field voles, and shrews as well.
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