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There are fruit feeders available for any type of bird, even the stealthy catbird. Catbirds are generally insect devouring birds - they will feed on beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars and other spiders and insects. Catbirds will also consume fruits that are ripening in your backyard. This kind of bird has a fondness for fruits and berries. They eat raspberries, grapes, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, strawberries and figs. These birds are normally found in suburban areas, yards and gardens. They typically look for areas with lots of bushes, shrubs and other natural elements that can provide cover and protection from predators and at the same time offer a supply of berries for them to feed on. Catbirds are mainly soft, dark gray in color, with a dark cap on their heads and russet areas under their tails and on their sides. They are quite active and are smaller than robins. They have slender bills and long tails and usually hold their tails upright. Feeding Catbirds. Catbirds like a large selection of fruits that grow on vines, trees and shrubs in the wild. They will visit all kinds of plants through the seasons. They also drink water from streams, puddles and ponds. Catbirds visit different trees and shrubs for different times of the year, depending on availability of their food. During the summer, catbirds frequent plants that grow blackberries, black huckleberries, cherries, elderberries, mulberries, pokeberries and wild blueberries. During the fall or winter, they will eat arrowwoods, bittersweets, hollies, honeysuckles, and viburnums. Catbirds will eat orange halves placed in a holder together with other birds like orioles, tanagers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, thrashers, northern mockingbirds and red-bellied woodpeckers. Fruit feeders can be used to feed catbirds. Adding this type of feeder will attract fruit eating birds that don't normally come to visit your bird seed feeders. Fruit feeders can either be hanging feeders, wire feeders specially designed to hold pieces of fruit or fruit suet, or nectar feeders that can also be used for fruit eating birds. You can also use an ordinary platform bird feeder and put grapes on them to attract catbirds and other birds like robins, towhees, house finches, Acorn Woodpeckers, Mockingbirds, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Bluebirds, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Scarlet Tanagers, Cedar Waxwings, and Western Tanagers. Remember to chop up fruits into tiny pieces when offering fruits to birds. Larger sections of fruits should be attached securely to your feeders to prevent the birds from carrying them off. Catbirds will also visit bird feeding stations that contain such items as raisins and grape jelly. They will also regard your orchards or berry patches as their own personal feeders. If you don't want all the fruits on your berry patches to be eaten by catbirds, protect your berries by covering them with bird netting. Be sure to fasten it securely to avoid the catbirds from finding ways to get inside the netting. Note: Catbirds enjoy water. They don't only enjoy drinking it, but they also enjoy taking baths. So have a bird bath available for your visiting catbirds. |
