Kitchen scraps can provide a healthy alternative to commercial bird food while simultaneously reducing landfill waste. It is important, however, to steer clear of foods which could pose danger (salt and large peanuts during breeding season, for instance) as well as limit those containing fat content.
Avians love cooked carbohydrates like pasta and rice, just make sure that any leftovers are rinsed or cut up into small pieces for proper disposal.
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Bananas
Bananas make an excellent addition to a wild bird’s diet, providing carbohydrates and natural sugars. But their use should be limited so as to avoid overfeeding some birds.
Banana peels and slices can be offered to several wild bird species, such as northern cardinal, blue jay, evening grosbeak and scarlet tanager. When selecting bananas to offer to them, cut into small pieces for easy feeding.
Berries provide antioxidants and natural sugars that attract many different birds, while apples, oranges, melons, watermelons and cantaloupe are excellent choices with their high moisture content making them especially appealing in hot weather. Just be sure to clean up after feeding time to maintain a safe environment for birds! Remember to always maintain a hygienic feeding area.
Raisins
Raisins are an irresistibly delicious treat for many species of birds, offering natural sugars and carbohydrates for energy. You can offer these treats alone or combine them with other food such as black oil sunflower seeds.
Cranberries and sultanas make excellent options for birds as treats, along with fresh fruit like apples, melons, or squash for healthy snacks.
As another way of feeding birds, bruised bananas and other fruit that has started to spoil can also be an effective option. You could also offer cooked pasta or rice with sauce removed for them, while small amounts of stale cheese might also do the trick (as long as it doesn’t grow mold).
Apples
Birds enjoy feeding on fresh fruit that’s being wasted in homes; even bruised apples, bananas and other fruit will attract sparrows, finches and robins as it provides quick energy boosts to wild birds.
Bread and other baked goods such as cookies are popular with birds of many species. However, it’s best to feed these items stale or slightly damp and without salt (since salt can be harmful).
Stale cheese and other dairy products can also provide birds with essential fat and protein sources. When offering such treats during breeding or molting seasons, be mindful to only offer in moderation to avoid complicating digestion further.
Vegetables
Birds enjoy eating many plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables. Avocados contain fatty acids which may damage birds’ hearts. Also avoid fruit seeds as these may contain cyanide.
Cooked vegetables provide vital nutrition to wild birds. Boiled potatoes, jacket spuds and baked sweet potato provide an abundant supply of carbohydrates which corvids such as crows and grackles appreciate immensely. Rice is another popular carb source; just be sure to prepare it without salt prior to cooling it down after being heated up in the pot.
Eggs provide birds with essential protein and calcium. Scrambled, boiled and crushed egg shells are much-appreciated treats; birds also adore pasta and rice dishes with no sauces or cheese coating.
Peanuts
Birds require lots of calories during winter to stay warm, making high fat foods ideal. Suet is popular but whole peanuts (not in shell) or wire mesh feeders may also work better to protect young birds from choking on them. Peanut butter can also be spread onto tree trunks for feeding birds – just be wary if it becomes moldy as that could make them sick!
Other kitchen foods that provide fat and carbohydrates include stale bread, rice, pasta, unsalted meat scraps and trimmed beef bones, crushed egg shells for calcium and grit in birds’ diets, bacon grease as an energy boost or just directly added into feeders for convenience.
