Birds, Mammals and Wildlife Gardening – Worms

Worms and other invertebrates are an essential part of the diet of most birds because they are a good source of proteins, vitamins and minerals. Insects are vital for the diets of most breeding birds and their chicks in particular. While you might not choose to go out and buy mealworms (although keen bird feeders do!) you can do a lot provide this element of diet for your birds. Who eats invertebrates?

Thrushes, robins and blackbirds feed on the ground, using their strong bills to pull earthworms from the soil, and their large eyes that help them to help them see in the early morning light, when earthworms are most active near the surface. Many of our woodland and garden birds have needle-like bills that enable them to pick insects with precision. Tits and warblers search for caterpillars, flies, spiders and aphids among tree buds and leaves. Great spotted woodpeckers favour beetle grubs in rotten wood, and have chisel-like beaks and long, barbed tongues perfect for the job. Green woodpeckers are particularly fond of ants, and are often to be seen foraging for their nests among short grass. Thrushes turn their attention to snails when they can't get worms, using stones as 'anvils' to break open the shells by banging or even dropping the snail upon them. Blackbirds have a bad habit of swooping in to steal the snail before the thrush can get it!

The decline in many bird species is linked to their reliance on invertebrates - insecticides reduce the numbers of insects in the environment, and toxins from insecticides can build up inside the bodies of birds that feed on them. Slug pellets are also a problem, as the poisons become concentrated in birds and animals that feed on slugs and snails. Climate change is affecting the numbers and types of invertebrates available to birds. In hot weather, earthworms, snails and slugs can become scarce, and warmer weather in spring means that caterpillars mature more quickly, so they are not available later in the season when birds need them to feed to nestlings

You can help by giving up slug pellets and insecticides. Planting native shrubs and trees really works – willow, oak and birch support caterpillar species and log-piles, decaying leaves, and longer grass are all good habitats for insects. If your garden has more invertebrates, you should see more birds.

Birds, mammals and wildlife gardening worm photograph by yaraa, used under a creative commons attribution licence

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