One of the fun things about having a backyard is that you can see birds on a sunny morning doing their job (flying around and eating insects). A backyard is a habitat for many small and medium-sized birds like swallows, wrens, nuthatches, and jays. Birds in the backyard are a sound of nature that you will always hear when you step out of your house in the morning.
These birds eat up all sorts of insects ranging from mosquitoes to termites. Here we will talk about some such insect-eating bird species. Keep reading to learn more.
How to Attract Birds to Your Backyard?
There are certain bird feeders that you can buy in the market to attract birds for your backyard related to your needs and problems. They come in different sizes and colors. You must read the package instructions carefully before buying them. The most important thing is selecting the right kind of food for these birds. For example, if you want to attract swallows in your backyard, buy a specialized swallow bird feeder made out of wire mesh.
It’s a good idea to plant trees like pine or fruit or walnut because all of them produce nuts which provide energy for birds when they fly back home after feeding their little ones.
Bird watching will give you great pleasure when you sit in your backyard with family and friends on a lovely weekend morning enjoying the sound of nature, hearing the chirping of various birds.
Insect-eating bird species
Mosquitoes: Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)- This kind of bird is present mostly in North America. It is seen perching on high objects with open sightlines across an open area such as telephone wires or power cables. They eat flying insects and sometimes catch them in mid-air by flying quickly and catching them with their beaks.
Termites: Woodpeckers – Most of the woodpeckers eat insects, but the flicker is known for eating termites. If you see a large woodpecker in your backyard and it seems to be digging holes in your trees and wooden structures, chances are it is looking for termites and not ants.
Ants: Nuthatches – The nuthatch has a thin pointed bill that helps it get into ant holes to get at these insects. These birds sing many different songs such as squeaky sounds like mice or short whistles.
Caterpillars: Chickadees – Chickadees love caterpillars for dinner. They will eat them right off the branch. They also like to feed on aphids, which are plant-sucking insects.
Moths and Butterflies: Swallows – Swallow birds can be seen catching moths and butterflies either in the air or on the ground at dusk.
12 Common Birds You Can See in your Backyard
Woodpeckers
A Woodpecker is a medium-sized perching bird with strong legs and powerful beaks which they use to drill wood in search of insects/bugs or larvae inside the trees. These birds are native to most parts of North America. They eat only insects and larvae that are present inside tree trunks. A lot of your favorite cartoon birds are wood-peckers like woody woodpeckers, Smedley, etc. To attract them, you can place suet feeders or birdhouses or plant more fruit-bearing, nut-producing plants around your backyard.
Ravens
These are very large birds with long wings which are common all over North America. These are often seen in pairs or small groups flying over open fields. They hunt during the day and mostly feed on rodents, insects, fruits, and vegetables in urban areas. If you want to attract them in your backyard, plant large fruit-bearing trees like figs or mulberry.
Blue Jays
They are medium-sized birds with crests on the top of their heads. They can be seen throughout North America usually perching on high objects with open sightlines across an open area such as telephone wires or power cables. They eat grains, nuts, berries, and insects. To attract them in your backyard you must plant more fruit-bearing trees around your backyard. Try avoiding hanging feeders that swing or sway too much.
Nuthatches
These birds almost look like woodpeckers but they have shorter stouter bills and feet. You can see them throughout North America usually perching on high objects with open sightlines across areas such as telephone wires or power cables. They eat insects and larvae, nuts, and seeds. To attract nuthatches buy a specialized bird feeder that has different types of perches to accommodate their needs. Their favorite snacks are sunflower seeds and peanuts.
Robins
They are medium-sized songbirds with reddish breasts native to northern parts of the United States and Canada. These birds were named after American poet, Mr. Thomas Moore who wrote a poem about these creatures in 1842 describing how he was cheered up by his pet robin after one sad winter day. They are very friendly and feed on worms, insects, fruits. To attract them in your backyard you must plant more fruit-bearing trees around your backyard. Robins don’t eat bird feed but enjoy a variety of fruits such as small slices of apples and watermelons.
Bluebirds
These are small songbirds with blue color on their upper body and rust color on their lower part. These birds were named after the color of the sky which is generally seen when these lovely creatures fly across an open area or landscape. You can attract them by planting more trees like pine which produce nuts that bluebird eats to gain weight before flying back home to raise their young ones.
Titmice
These little perching birds have black caps, gray bodies, and crests that come down in front of their eyes. These were named after the common name ‘titmouse’ of an English folk song in the 16th century which belongs to a group of people living near oak trees forest. They are also known as ‘tit’. They eat insects, seeds, fruits (pits) like acorns and other nuts therefore you can attract them by planting more fruit-bearing trees around your backyard.
Cardinals
These are medium-sized songbirds with red color on their heads and upper parts of their bodies. These can be seen throughout the United States during the summer season. They eat insects, fruits, seeds which you can attract by planting more fruit-bearing trees around your backyard.
House Sparrows
They are small songbirds with brown backs and white breasts native to Europe but now they have been introduced all over North America. They live in large colonies of nests whether these are buildings or birdhouses. To attract them buy a specialized bird feeder that has different types of perches to accommodate their needs.
Tree Swallows
They are small songbirds with blue color on their upper body and rust color on their lower part with white underbellies. They fly over large areas to find food that they eat at that time or store it for later use in the summer season when there is a scarcity of food. To attract them buy a specialized bird feeder that has different types of perches to accommodate their needs.
Downy Woodpeckers
These are medium-sized songbirds with black caps, white faces, and black and white striped backs. These birds have been seen throughout North America. They feed on insects, larvae, nuts, and seeds therefore you can attract them by planting more fruit-bearing trees around your backyard.
Chickadees
They are small songbirds with black color on their heads and backs with white color under their bellies. They can be found throughout North America. They eat insects, larvae, seeds therefore you can attract them by planting more fruit-bearing trees around your backyard.
Final thoughts
If you’re looking to attract birds that feed on insects, several species would be happy to come and visit your backyard for a short visit. We’ve provided the top 12 types of backyard Birds that eat Insects for you below! Which one will you try attracting first? Let us know in the comments!
We are sure you are one of the nature lovers around Earth and we are sure enough too that you will be having a pet dog too. Make sure to check out our post on ’17 RELAXING AND ENJOYABLE BACKYARD ACTIVITIES TO DO WITH YOUR DOG!’ You will absolutely love it.
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