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Mosquitoes and bugs are a nuisance and one of the most irritable pests. They can be worse, especially during the summer when you want to enjoy the outdoors. While you can always apply a repellent spray or lotion, nature also has a solution to keep mosquitoes and bugs away. Birds that eat mosquitoes are ideal for protecting yourself and your outdoors from these unwanted visitors.

Wild birds that eat insects

In addition to leaving you itchy, some mosquitoes and bugs also carry viruses. Even though there are solutions that can limit the bug population, these tactics can make you feel overwhelmed. That’s where nature lends a hand, bringing you some reinforcement to get rid of the mosquito problem. Plenty of bird species, including hummingbirds, eat mosquitoes. Similarly, you can also attract purple martins for mosquitoes, which can solve the bug problem.

On top of that, some birds love to dine bugs in large quantities, and you don’t have to pay a penny for these insect easting birds’ species. So, how to know what bird species eat mosquitoes?

This guide will help you learn about birds that eat mosquitoes, where they can be found, and how to attract them. So, let’s get started!

Species of Birds that Eat Mosquitoes

 

1.      Barn Swallows

 

Barn Swallows belong to the marting and saw-wing (Hirundinidae) family. They are also the most extensive swallow species in the world. These birds can be found on every continent except Antarctica. In ad

Barn Swallows

 

Moreover, these birds prefer to build cup nests in various environments, including woodlands, grasslands, and even urban areas. Since their nests resemble human structures like barns, they are often called “barns.”

 

Furthermore, swallow barns are generally 6.5-7.6 inches long, with a wingspan measuring around 13.6 inches. In addition to their sharp blue and white underparts, barn swallows have a blue tail and reddish forehead. Although they are among birds that eat mosquitoes, barn swallows also love to dine on winged insects, including ants and flies.

How to Attract Barn Swallows?

 

  • They don’t find bird feeders attractive. Instead, they love to visit places with a healthy source of the mosquito population.
  • Avoid insecticides, pesticides, and herbicides.
  • Leave your garden grass slightly longer to attract more swallows looking for food.
  • Since barn swallows prefer places with natural water sources, try to add a moving water source in your garden.
  • Unlike some garden bird species that need bushes and trees to feel safe, swallows prefer open areas.
  • Barn swallows are cavity-nesting birds, so keep birdhouses in your gardens.

 

2.      Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds

 

In addition to consuming nectar, hummingbirds eat mosquitoes too. These tiny, beautiful bird species are the most common North American birds. Their distinctive emerald-green head, back, wings, and tail with pearly white underparts are so attractive. Ruby-throated female hummings have white throat patches, whereas males have red-throat patches.

Hummingbird eat mosquitoes

Interestingly, ruby-throated hummings can fly hundreds of miles over water without stopping. Their wings beat rapidly, hitting 75 strokes per second. However, these beautiful birds need consistent food that supports their high-speed metabolism.

Furthermore, ruby-throated hummingbirds love to dine on weevils, small beetles, true bugs, gnats, flying ants, spiders, and mosquitoes.

How to Attract Hummingbirds?

 

 

  • Although hummingbirds eat mosquitoes, they also love sipping sweet nectar. So, keep flowering plants in your garden.
  • Since they love red, add as much red as possible, like flowers, feeders, etc.
  • Hummings prefer places with a consistent water source.
  • Planting more trees and shrubs in your garden will encourage more humming as they use trees and shrubs for perching.
  • Place protein/ insect feeders in your garden.

    3.      Purple Martins

     

    Purple martins for mosquitoes are another bird species you can attract to your garden. As one of the largest swallows in North America, purple martins also belong to the same Hirundinidae family as barn swallows. The name of these birds is tied to their dark black-blue color, which can look purple in certain light conditions.

    Purple Martins for Mosquitoes

    Purple martins migrate to the east and southwest United States, Mexico, and Canada during summer. In contrast, purple martins migrate and live throughout South America in the winter months. These bird species measure around 7.9 inches with a wingspan of up to 16.1 inches.

    Moreover, purple martins prefer to build nests in cavities, either in gourds, birdhouses, or inside hollowed-out trees. In addition, they are also incredibly acrobatic and a delight to watch in your garden. Since these birds like to dine on mosquitoes, bugs, insects, and bees, purple martins for mosquitoes can serve as a natural pest control.

    How to Attract Purple Martins?

     

    • Avoid spraying pesticides or insecticides in your garden. This will help mosquitoes and bugs grow so purple martins can naturally prey on and eliminate them.
    • They are more attracted to places with consistent, significant water sources.
    • Place plenty of artificial houses in your garden, which will provide shelter for martins.
    • Use bird housing in your garden so purple martins can nest.

         

        4.      Blackpoll Warblers

         

        Our list of birds that eat mosquitoes also includes Blackpoll Warblers as one of the insect-eating bird species. These birds like to dine in large quantities and can destroy the growing population of mosquitoes and bugs in your garden. Although these garden birds are adorned with black and white colors, their color can turn white and brown during the autumn. In addition, while blackpoll warblers are native to Canada, they migrate to America in colder months.

        Blackpoll Warbler

        Like hummingbirds eat mosquitoes, blackpoll warblers love to dine on lice, gnats, aphids, cankerworms, sawflies, and more. Due to their tendency to eat mosquitoes in large quantities, blackpoll warblers are perfect garden birds that eat mosquitoes and bugs.

         

        How to Attract Blackpoll Warblers?

         

         

        • Keeping your yard insect-friendly by avoiding pesticide spray means it is warblers-friendly too.
        • Plant more flowers in your garden in masses rather than in scattered spots.
        • Grow different plant species with varying heights and sizes. This will help warblers find a variety of insect life they can consume.
        • Place a consistent, open water source where warblers can bathe their feathers.
        • Keep birdbaths in secluded areas of your garden away from predators.
        • They like to visit open spaces and perch in high, open places.
        • Dense planting can encourage more warblers to visit your yard.

               

              5.      Eastern Phoebe

               

              Eastern phoebes are small songbirds and a member of the tyrant flycatcher family “Tyrannidae.” These insect-eating birds migrate to the eastern half of Canada and the United States and live there throughout summer. However, as the weather changes, eastern phoebe head back south to spend winters in southern states and Mexico.

              Blackpoll Warbler

              Moreover, eastern phoebes have a mass measuring up to 6.7 inches with a wingspan of up to 11 inches. These birds generally have gray-brown plumage with white throats and grayish underparts. Just as you want purple martins for mosquitoes to keep your outdoors mosquito-free, eastern phoebes also diet on flying insects, bugs, gnats, etc., serving as a natural pest control.

              Furthermore, these birds build cup nests in varying conditions, including urban areas, open areas, woodlands, and especially near water sources. In addition to mosquitoes and bugs, eastern phoebes also love to dine on berries and fruits.

              How to Attract Eastern Phoebe?

               

              • Avoid insecticide or pesticide sprays, and keep your yard insect-friendly.
              • Provide them with a consistent, clean water source where they can bathe.
              • Try to put up a nested structure that will help you attract a breeding pair.
              • Plant Virginia Creeper, American Elderberry, and Wild Grape to attract more phoebes.

                       

                      6.      Muscovy Duck

                       

                      The Muscovy duck is both a domestic and wild breed of duck. They can be found abundantly throughout North and South America. While they are native to South America, where Native Americans have bred them, Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida, and some other states of the US also have feral populations.

                      Muscovy Duck

                      Moreover, an extensive species of Muscovy ducks can measure up to 30 inches and weigh up to 15 pounds. Muscovy ducks generally strike black and white feathers, whereas bills adorned with pink or red wattles. Like most other birds that eat mosquitoes, Muscovy ducks also love to eat an array of bugs and insects, fruits, fish, and grasses.

                       

                      How to Attract Muscovy Duck?

                       

                      • Ducks are omnivorous with a hearty appetite, including a range of foods. Planting berry bushes can attract more of them to your garden.
                      • Muscovy ducks need a more prominent, consistent water source than many other garden birds. So, try to build a larger pond in your garden where they can bathe.
                      • Tall marsh grasses around the edges of your garden will provide shelter to ducks to make them feel safe.

                                 

                                7.      Bluebird

                                 

                                The term “bluebird” is dedicated to one of three songbird species in the “Turdidae” family. These species include the eastern bluebird, western bluebird, and mountain bluebird. Bluebirds can be found throughout North America, including Canada, Mexico, and Central America. Like hummingbirds, bluebirds are also bird species that feature prominently in cultural traditions.

                                Bluebird Eating Mosquito

                                Moreover, all bluebird species have a medium size and feature blue to blue-beige plumage. In addition, these birds prefer to spend time in grasslands with few trees. Famous for their highly territorial behavior, bluebirds build their nests in cavities and artificial nesting boxes.

                                 

                                In addition to eating mosquitoes, they eat an array of insects, particularly larvae and mealworms. However, bluebirds may also eat berries and fruits if food isn’t readily available.

                                How to Attract Bluebirds?

                                 

                                • Installing a bluebird nesting box in your garden will attract more of them to your property.
                                • Provide them with plenty of food like suet balls, mealworms, seeds, and sunflower chips.
                                • Place a birdbath or a build a pond in your backyard.
                                • Put colorful birdfeeders throughout your garden in open areas.

                                             

                                            8.      Northern Cardinal

                                             

                                            The Northern Cardinal is also among the species of songbirds that eat mosquitoes and insects. These are non-migratory birds with their habitat ranging from Texas to Maine. They are trendy for their vibrant red feathers, plum, and striking orange beak. While Northern Cardinals primarily consume grains, they also love to dine on bugs and mosquitoes.

                                            Northern Cardinal

                                            Moreover, cardinals can eat more giant insects, such as cicadas and grasshoppers, thanks to their size. However, young ones cannot consume grains until adulthood and are fed tiny insects like mosquitoes and bugs. In the east, cardinals prefer to live in woodland edges, suburban gardens, forest clearings, parks, and areas with dense bushes. In contrast, they prefer to nest in streamside thickets or tall brush in the southwest.

                                             

                                             

                                            How to Attract Northern Cardinal?

                                             

                                            • Plant trees like mulberry, blueberry bushes, and other dark-colored berries.
                                            • Provide them with a natural shelter to make them feel safe.
                                            • Cardinals are attracted to places where they have running water.
                                            • They are non-migratory birds, so ensure to make your yard a rich resource all year long.

                                            9.      Great Tit

                                             

                                            The great Tit is another bird species that eat mosquitoes. These little birds have distinguished black necks and heads, yellowish coloring, and white cheeks. Since great tits prefer to build their nests in cavities, they always eat mosquitoes in large quantities.

                                            Great Tit

                                            In addition, to attract purple martins for mosquitoes, great tits can also serve as a natural pest control. Since they consume mosquitoes in large quantities, great tits can dramatically reduce the mosquito and bug population.

                                             

                                            How to Attract Great Tits?

                                               

                                              • Sunflower seeds and peanuts are two of the favorite foods for great tits.
                                              • Offer a consistent supply of fresh water for drinking and bathing.
                                              • Leave molted hair of your pets out in your backyard so they can use it to build nests.

                                               

                                              10. Nuthatches

                                               

                                              Nuthatches are excellent mosquito-eaters. Although these beautiful birds are small in size, they sing loudly. They spend most of their lives in the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Asia and prefer to stay in trees and shrubs.

                                              Nuthatches feature a long, thin beak that helps them catch flying insects. These tiny birds are incredibly acrobatic and can easily prey on insects from small crevices. In addition to their mosquito diet, nuthatches eat invertebrates, seeds, and small grains.

                                               

                                              How to Attract Nuthatches?

                                                • Since nuthatches have short legs, placing shallower birdbaths just 1-2 inches deep in your garden is perfect.
                                                • Nuthatches are also attracted to hanging waters like nectar feeders.
                                                • Keep your water source near trees so nuthatches can forage.
                                                • These actively-nesting birds need appropriate shelter for raising their little ones.

                                                How to Attract Birds that Eat Mosquitoes?

                                                Sure, hummingbirds eat mosquitoes, and so do many other bird species. But how to attract mosquito-eating birds to your backyard? You can perform various steps you can perform multiple steps to make your yard more welcoming.

                                                 

                                                • Place Birdbaths, Fountains, or Bubbling Water Sources

                                                 

                                                All bird species need water, and providing a source of fresh water can help you attract flocks of colorful birds to your backyard. For instance, you can keep a fountain, place a birdbath, or build a bubbling water source. This will keep birds returning to your yard, especially during the hot weather.

                                                 

                                                In contrast, it is also important to avoid providing a source of standing water because the result will be more mosquitoes in your yard. Standing water sources are also a favorite place for bugs and mosquitoes to lay eggs. So, if you want to prevent the growth of larvae, adding fish to the water is effective.

                                                 

                                                Moreover, for non-migratory birds, you will need extra care to prevent water from freezing during chilly temperatures. In this regard, ensure to refresh the water in your birdbaths. In addition, you can also provide some heat to keep the water comfortably warm during cold temperatures.

                                                • Place Bird Feeders for Providing Bird Seed

                                                 

                                                If you want to attract birds like purple martins for mosquitoes, providing an expansive variety of bird seeds can help attract many bird species. You can use blends, sunflower seed, suet, safflower seed, etc. In addition, providing different bird seed varieties will also increase the chances of luring the flocks of birds to eradicate the mosquito population.

                                                 

                                                It is essential to use special birdfeeders like hummingbird feeders specifically designed to attract specific bird species. For example, cardinals are medium-sized birds that have some preferences. They won’t use particular feeders even if you fill them with their favorite food. Therefore, place hoppers rather than tube bird feeders.

                                                 

                                                • Use Birdhouses or Provide Nesting Opportunities

                                                 

                                                Using birdhouses in your yard can help you attract various birds that eat mosquitoes. However, place your birdhouses throughout your yard and space them to provide more coverage. It is also essential to place bird-specific houses and plant low shrubs to make birds feel safe.

                                                 

                                                Having ground covers will help birds hide when they feel unsafe. In addition, they will also love to seek shelter during storms or scorching weather conditions. Moreover, it is also essential to add trees and bushes to provide dense greenery for non-migratory birds. Remember that some bird species don’t use birdhouses for nesting; instead, they prefer lush greenery to establish their nests.

                                                 

                                                • Keep Your Pets Inside

                                                 

                                                If you have cats, dogs, or other pets, try to keep them inside your home. While some pets are suitable for gardens, others, like cats, are not if you want to attract birds. If your pet is prowling around, this will frighten the birds away. So, keep your pets inside your home, where they can creep for rodents while allowing birds to keep your yard clear of mosquitoes. Enabling your feline and avian companions to do their jobs is a win-win for you.

                                                 

                                                Wrapping Up

                                                 

                                                That’s all about birds that eat mosquitoes and other bugs. We hope this post will help you learn about different bird species that can help you naturally eliminate the mosquito population in your yard. Birds like hummingbirds eat mosquitoes in large quantities. Similarly, attracting purple martins for mosquitoes can also help you control mosquito population in your backyard without using any pesticide or insecticide spray.

                                                 

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