1. Basic Bird Need: Food
Wild birds eat a wide variety of plant and animal matter, including seeds, nuts, berries, insects, worms, and grubs. While some birds really seem to enjoy bird feeders, others prefer to get all or part of their food from natural sources. Here are some tips for providing food for birds:
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- Bird Feeders: Install a variety of bird feeders, including seed, nut, suet, and nectar feeders. Check out our articles on Wild Bird Feeding Basics and How to Make a Suet Bird Feeder for more information.
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- Flowers: Planting annual, perennial, and flowering shrubs and trees can provide food for birds. Look for a variety of colors, textures, and bloom times. Birds will be attracted to seeds, nectar, and the insects buzzing around your blossoms. Leave some flowers to set seeds and fruits.
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- Berries: Birds love berries, so adding plants and shrubs with berries can really help. Choose varieties with different fruiting seasons for year-round bird feeding.
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- Go Organic: Don’t use insecticides and herbicides on your lawn or garden. Not only can birds be harmed by ingesting the chemicals, but they’ll reduce their natural insect prey, causing birds to hunt elsewhere.
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