Peanuts make a great supplemental food source for many common backyard birds. Offering peanuts is an easy way to attract colorful, interesting birds to your yard. But what kinds of birds like to eat peanuts? And what is the best way to feed peanuts to wild birds? Keep reading to learn all about what kind of birds eat peanuts and how you can use this nut to bring more avian activity to your outdoor space.
Why Birds Love Peanuts
There are several key reasons why so many birds relish peanuts as a food source. Here are some of the main factors that make peanuts an enticing treat for a wide variety of bird species:
High in Fat and Protein
Peanuts are packed with nutrients like fat, protein, and carbohydrates that birds need to stay energized. The high fat content helps birds keep up their energy levels and maintain body heat in cold weather. The protein in peanuts supports muscle growth and development in young birds and egg production in females.
Birds have very high metabolisms, so they need to eat frequently throughout the day. Energy-dense foods like peanuts are vital for keeping backyard birds fueled and healthy. Just a single peanut can provide a nice burst of calories for small birds like chickadees, wrens, and nuthatches.
Easy to Crack Open
Many birds that feed on seeds and nuts have strong, stout beaks that are specialized for cracking tough shells. Peanuts have a softer shell compared to other nuts like acorns, hickory nuts, pistachios, and black walnuts. This makes them relatively easy for birds to open and access the nutmeg inside.
Species like cardinals, blue jays, and woodpeckers all have beaks that are adept at prying apart peanut shells. Birds that lack the beak strength to open whole unshelled peanuts, like finches and sparrows, can still feed on already cracked-open peanut pieces.
Plentiful Food Source
In areas where peanuts are grown as a commercial crop or used in backyard bird feeders, they are an abundant and renewable food resource. Birds can rely on peanuts as a consistent supplementary food source rather than a temporary seasonal treat. This allows them to incorporate peanuts into their regular diet throughout much of the year.
The widespread availability of peanuts helps support higher populations of birds that have learned to utilize this nut as a key food resource. Offering peanuts in bird feeders is an easy way to make this nut readily accessible to wild birds in your neighborhood.
Types of Birds That Enjoy Peanuts
Many species of birds that frequent backyards, woodlands, and urban parks will happily eat peanuts when they are available. Some of the most common birds that are drawn to peanuts including blue jays, chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers.
Blue Jays
Blue jays are a type of corvid bird well known for their intelligence and adaptability. They have strong black bills that make cracking open nuts and seeds easy work. In the wild, blue jays consume a variety of nuts like acorns, hickory nuts, pecans, and, of course, peanuts. They use their beaks like a nutcracker to break open the shell and expose the seed inside.
Blue jays will frequent bird feeders and platforms stocked with peanuts, often gathering up several in their beaks at once to stash away for later. They are bold, social birds that may occasionally bully smaller species away from prime feeding spots. But their dazzling blue, grey, and white plumage makes up for their sometimes aggressive behavior.
Cardinals
With their brilliant red coloring and pleasant melodic songs, cardinals are a backyard favorite across much of North America. These striking birds are a type of finch with thick conical beaks well-suited for cracking seeds and small nuts. Cardinals relish shelled and unshelled peanuts and will loyally visit any feeder where they are available.
In winter months when natural foods are scarce, cardinals rely more heavily on bird feeders stocked with peanuts and other energy-rich seeds and nuts. Offer peanuts year-round to support resident cardinal pairs, who mate for life and remain on the same territory throughout the year.
Chickadees
Chickadees are tiny, acrobatic songbirds that flock to backyards across Canada and the northern half of the United States. Both black-capped and Carolina chickadees have short, sturdy beaks and nimble bodies adapted for clinging to mesh feeders and plucking out small seeds and nuts. Although they are small, chickadees can and will tackle whole peanuts to extract the meat inside their shells.
Their high metabolism means chickadees need to eat constantly while the sun is up. Having a good stash of peanuts available provides these active birds with a compact and portable source of energy and nutrients. Chickadees will carry off whole peanuts to hide in leaf litter or bark crevices, then later return to crack them open and eat them.
Nuthatches
Nuthatches are quirky little birds that creep up, down, and sideways along tree trunks, searching for insect prey. Their short powerful bills can pry into tight crevices in bark and split apart nuts and seeds. The white-breasted nuthatch and red-breasted nuthatch are two species attracted to peanut offerings at platform feeders and hopper-style feeders.
Nuthatches will wedge peanuts into tree bark to anchor them in place as they hammer their bill into the shell. Like chickadees, they often carry off peanuts to cache elsewhere, then retrieve them later to eat. Keep your eyes peeled for upside-down nuthatches that freely scale tree trunks and branches in every direction.
Titmice
Titmice are plump, round-headed songbirds that travel in active flocks and communicate with a huge variety of call notes. The tufted titmouse and bridled titmouse found in North America both have stout grey bills suited for cracking seeds and peanuts. Although they only weigh about half an ounce, titmice are assertive around bird feeders and will chase off larger birds to claim coveted peanut treats.
Titmice will call loudly to rally their companions to prime feeding opportunities. Setting out a fresh batch of peanuts often results in an influx of excitable titmice vying for their share of the nutty bounty. These social, vocal birds provide endless amusement and charm for backyard bird enthusiasts.
Woodpeckers
Woodpeckers are instantly recognizable birds that peck away at tree trunks, searching for burrowing insects to eat. But they also use their sturdy chisel-like bills to crack open nuts and seeds found in the wild or at backyard feeders. Downy, hairy, red-bellied, and red-headed woodpeckers are all attracted to peanuts set out in mesh bags or on platform feeders.
Woodpeckers wedge peanuts into pieces of bark or crevices, then hammer away to access the sweet, nutty core inside. Their powerful neck muscles and spear-like bills make easy work of breaking through peanut shells. Try offering woodpeckers peanut pieces to spare your feeders from damage if whole, unshelled nuts are vigorously wedged into the sides.
Wrens
Wrens are energetic little songbirds with upright tails and thin, pointed bills. They actively forage through leaf litter and low branches, probing for spiders and insects. Wrens aren’t often seen directly at bird feeders since their diet is mainly made up of invertebrates. But they do appreciate peanut pieces scattered across the ground or on platform feeders.
Species like Carolina and house wrens will snack on bite-sized pieces of peanuts. Their small beaks can’t manage
whole nuts, but they can peck away at cracked fragments. Wrens appreciate peanuts as an extra source of food when their usual prey may be scarce. Try sprinkling some peanut bits into a ground platform feeder or directly on the ground to attract these active little birds.
Overall, peanuts are enjoyed by a wide range of common feeder birds like jays, woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, and more. Offering peanuts is sure to increase bird diversity and encourage new species to visit your backyard habitat.
Feeding Peanuts to Backyard Birds
Want to attract all kinds of birds with peanuts? Here are some tips for offering peanuts in your backyard:
Get the Right Type of Peanut
For feeding birds, look for raw, untreated peanuts still in the shell. Roasted or flavored nuts treated with oil and salt are not healthy for wild birds. Raw Spanish peanuts are a good choice since they have thinner shells that many birds find easier to crack open.
Avoid peanuts with damaged shells since they are more susceptible to rot and contamination from fungi like Aspergillus, which can be toxic to birds. Only offer shelled peanut pieces in moderation, since birds benefit nutritionally from working to extract nuts from the shell.
Purchase peanuts from a bird supply store or reputable wild bird food brand to ensure quality. Human-grade peanuts from a grocery store are not recommended since they may be treated with unnecessary additives.
Offer Peanut Pieces or Kernels
While some birds relish wrestling with a whole unshelled peanut, smaller species can only manage pieces and kernels. You can find bags of pre-cracked peanuts at pet and bird supply stores. Or easily make your own by cracking peanuts with a hammer inside a sealed bag.
Peanut pieces will attract a wider variety of birds, like wrens, chickadees, and finches. Kernels with the thin red skin removed are favored by many birds too. Mixing whole peanuts with pieces and kernels provides options for big and small-beaked birds alike.
Use Feeders to Attract Birds
Placing peanuts in specialty bird feeders makes it convenient for wild birds to access this nutritious food source while keeping it safe from squirrels. Hoppers or tube feeders with wire mesh allow small birds to reach through and pull out peanut pieces. Platform feeders surrounded by a cage also work well.
Hanging a mesh bag of peanuts from a tree branch is another simple option. Try mixing peanuts with other foods like black oil sunflower seeds in a hopper feeder to appeal to more species. Check feeders often to remove spoiled peanuts and keep offering fresh nuts.
Other Foods to Offer with Peanuts
While peanuts are loved by backyard birds, they shouldn’t be the sole food source. Offer a variety of other natural foods to provide balanced nutrition. Black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer thistle, suet cakes, millet, cracked corn, mealworms, and fruit are all great additions.
Variety will attract more different bird species and supply diverse vitamins, minerals, fats, and proteins. Try combining peanuts with other nuts like almonds or hazelnuts too. Just be sure to adjust feeder types and positions to accommodate different foods.
Potential Risks of Feeding Peanuts to Birds
While peanuts can certainly benefit wild birds, there are also some potential downsides to be aware of when offering this food:
Choking Hazard
Birds that eagerly gobble down whole peanuts may sometimes choke on pieces that are too large. This risk is highest for young fledglings still perfecting their nut-cracking skills. To reduce the chances of choking, offer a mix of whole peanuts and smaller pieces.
Can Attract Unwanted Visitors
Leaving peanuts accessible in open platform feeders or on the ground may attract opportunistic squirrels, rats, mice, and other mammals besides birds. Use specially designed feeders with cages or mesh to allow birds access while excluding larger pests.
Risk of Contamination
Damp, moldy peanuts left sitting in feeders can grow dangerous fungal contaminants. Always discard peanuts with damaged shells which are prone to degradation. Frequently clean and dry feeders to prevent rot and growth of harmful microbes.
While it’s important to be mindful of these hazards, the nutritional benefits peanuts offer most birds outweigh the risks when proper feeding tips are followed. Monitoring your feeders and being selective about peanut quality and presentation will increase the rewards of feeding peanuts to your backyard birds.
Making Your Own Peanut Bird Treats
Besides filling up bird feeders, homemade peanut treats can also attract wild birds. Whip up one of these simple recipes using peanuts:
Peanut Butter Pinecones
Smear all-natural peanut butter over a pinecone and roll in bird seed or cornmeal. Hang in a tree or set on a platform feeder. The peanut butter provides energy while the seeds or corn offer extra carbs and fiber.
Peanut Butter Suet
Mix 1 cup chunky peanut butter, 2 cups cornmeal or oats, and 1/2 cup lard or vegetable shortening. Form into a log in a suet cage or stuff into a mesh onion bag. Hang or set out for birds to nibble.
Peanut Butter Bird Feeders
Spread peanut butter inside a toilet paper tube or half an orange rind. Roll in bird seed then skewer onto a branch. Birds will wipe up all the tasty peanut butter while removing the seeds.
Homemade peanut treats are simple to whip up using basic ingredients you likely have at home. Get creative crafting nutritious peanut snacks to satisfy neighborhood birds!
Conclusion
Peanuts are relished by all kinds of common feeder birds like chickadees, woodpeckers, jays, nuthatches, cardinals, and more. Their soft shells make them easy for many birds to crack open and access the fat and protein inside. Offering raw in-shell peanuts in specialty bird feeders is a great way to boost bird numbers and diversity in your yard habitat.
Just be sure to buy high quality bird-grade peanuts and offer both whole nuts and cracked pieces to appeal to big and small birds alike. Combine peanuts with other seeds, fruits, and nuts for balanced nutrition. With proper presentation and monitoring, peanuts can be a safe supplemental food source backyard birds will flock to all year round.
So the next time you hear the “tap tap tap” of a woodpecker or spot a flash of blue jay feathers, chances are peanuts are involved! Put out some of this nutritious nut to satisfy and attract more colorful avian visitors.