Not many other birds are as easily recognizable, or spark more excitement, than bluebirds. North America is home to three species of bluebirds, the Eastern Bluebird, the Western Bluebird and the Mountain Bluebird. Seeing these bright little blue birds is a joy for many, and most of us would love to have them in our yards. While not all habitats support bluebirds, there are some simple things you can do to make your yard desirable to them. Let’s talk about how to attract bluebirds to your yard, and keep them coming back.
How to attract bluebirds to your yard
1. Open up your yard
Bluebirds prefer habitat in open and semi-open areas near trees, with sparse ground cover. This includes areas such as the woodline along pastures (farmland) and agricultural fields, suburban parks, golf courses and some back yards. The majority of their diet is insects.
They often hunt by perching low in trees or shrubs and swooping down to the ground to grab them. Therefore they prefer yards that have larger sections of open lawn space with trees around the perimeter. If your yard is tiny or you can’t open up the space, don’t fret. You may not have bluebirds deciding to nest in your yard, but there are other ways listed below that you can attract them to visit.
2. Avoid pesticides and lawn chemicals
As we said above, bluebirds get a lot of their insects from the ground. If you have a large lawn it may be a very attractive hunting ground for bluebirds. You can see why using pesticides and certain chemicals for lawn growth and maintenance would be harmful.
Not only would they be exposed to these chemicals just by spending time in contact with your lawn, but also from eating insects that were exposed to these chemicals. If you can avoid treating your lawn, or finding other organic or non-toxic treatments, the bluebirds will thank you.
3. Feed mealworms
Perhaps the best way to try and attract bluebirds is to offer their favorite feeder-food, mealworms. Mealworms aren’t actually worms. They are the larval stage of the Mealworm beetle, which is a species of Darkling Beetle. Mealworms have an impressive nutritional profile full of protein and vitamins that make them an attractive food source. Bluebirds seem to absolutely love them.
They are especially helpful to bluebirds in the early part of spring when bluebirds begin to nest. In many parts of the country it is still fairly cold and the insect population hasn’t started booming yet. Finding a supply of mealworms in your yard during this time when food is more scarce in the wild will be like finding a pot of gold. They can also offer a great support as they are out looking to collect food for their young.
One of our favorite feeders for offering mealworms is the Woodlink platform feeder with roof cover. It works for mealworms as well as almost any other type of bird food, making it something you can always find a use for.
Live mealworms vs Freeze Dried mealworms
You can buy or raise your own live mealworms, or you can buy them freeze-dried. In most cases I have seen people say that bluebirds (and other birds) prefer the live mealworms. Makes sense since th