are cherries good for birds

Im not sure yet what size tree Ill be getting, but if I get a semi-dwarf or standard cherry tree it may be too big to put netting over. I have several bird feeders around the yard and could put more if necessary. Would that keep the birds full so that theyd leave my cherries alone?

I’m not sure what size tree I’ll be getting yet, but if it’s a standard or semi-dwarf cherry tree, it might be too big for me to cover with netting. I have a few bird feeders in my yard, and if needed, I could add more. Would that satisfy the birds’ hunger and make them stop bothering my cherries?

Feeding Birds Fruit in Your Yard

Providing your yard’s birds with natural and additional fruit sources is a simple task. Fruit trees, berry bushes, and native vines can be planted to guarantee a consistent fruit supply year after year. Make sure you select fruit varieties that ripen at different times of year to provide your birds with a consistent source of food. Reduce the amount of chemicals that are applied to the plants, such as pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides. If you wish to harvest fruit for yourself, shield certain bushes or branches from birds’ attention well in advance of the fruit’s ripening, but after the fruit ripens, leave old and windfall fruits accessible for birds to consume.

A feeding platform or tray can be adorned with a few apple chunks, a half-orange, or some raisins to add fruit to bird feeding stations. Moreover, you can make a beautiful string feeder with berries, wedges, and chunks of fruit, or you can stuff a suet cage with large fruit chunks. Before being given to birds, small dried fruits like cranberries, raisins, or currants should be soaked or moistened. Never give fruits with chocolate or candy coatings, seasonings, or spices; these items don’t attract birds and may even be poisonous or unhealthy in other ways. You can even throw out fruit rinds that still have juicy bits attached to the skin so that birds can nibble on them.

Another method of feeding fruit to birds is with jelly, but use caution when doing so. Birds do enjoy fresh fruit jellies or even just crushed up fruit, but brands of jelly that have a lot of added sugar, preservatives, or other chemicals are not as good for birds and should only be sold in small amounts. Never give sugar-free jelly to birds because they lack the nutritional value needed to provide them with enough energy.

Orioles are songbirds that are attracted to fruit and jelly.

Birds That Eat Fruit

Many different species of birds eat fruit. Birds are categorized as frugivores, or frugivorous, if the majority of their diet consists of fruit. Other birds adjust their diets according to the season; they might consume more fruit in the late summer or early fall when it’s easier to get. Fruit that is still clinging to trees and bushes in the winter can provide hardy species that live in northern regions with an easy source of food. The most familiar birds that regularly eat fruit include:

• Catbirds
• Grosbeaks
• Orioles
• Robins
• Tanagers
• Thrashers
• Thrushes
• Waxwings
• Woodpeckers

Apart from these fruit-eating birds, other species that will sometimes nibble on fruit include warblers, kinglets, titmice, sparrows, quail, and towhees. This is especially true when other foods are scarce and fruit is readily available. Certain species, like parrots and toucans, may consume almost only fruit in their tropical diets.

Sparrow eating cherries from a tree / Shutterstock

FAQ

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