Birds are little omnivores that require a lot of energy and nutrition for food production, laying eggs, flying from here to there as they play a key source in pollination.
They are an essential part of beauty and necessity in our environment, and managing their food is vital for us to look after. Cranberries are not only a tasty source of food but also have medicinal value as well.
We will discuss if birds can eat cranberries, which kinds of birds do, their health benefits, raw cranberries, dried cranberries, cranberry juice, cranberry sauce, high bush cranberries, and ways to feed birds cranberries below!
Can birds eat cranberries?
Many birds eat cranberries, including Cardinals, Nuthatches, Grosbeaks, Jays, Titmice, chickadees, Finches, wrens, woodpeckers, and warblers. They don’t mind the vinegary taste. But, some do not like the bitter taste, although cranberries have Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K1, and other minerals.
Table of Contents
Cranberries have the taste of a tart which means it is both really sour and bitter at the same time. They taste somewhat similar to lemons because of their low sugar and high acid composition. They are enriched with phytochemicals that prevent your body from falling ill.
They are really rich in medicinal values with vitamins and minerals. They also are full of antioxidants.
Thus, the taste of cranberries can be a bit too harsh for some birds, but it is an inevitable source of nutrition in the wild, especially in harsher weather when there’s lesser food with good protein supplements and energy around.
You could prepare raw cranberries in different ways to feed the birds also like dried cranberries, small pieces of cranberries, making cranberries float in water, and letting them curiously eat them.
Birds like Titmice, chickadees, Finches, wrens, woodpeckers, and warblers, etc., don’t mind the bitter taste, but many don’t like it either.
Do these birds eat cranberries?
Many birds eat cranberries while many do not. We are mentioning a list below of different birds to show their eating habits:
Parrots:
Parrots are an omnivorous species. This means parrots can eat different types of meat like insects, worms, and all kinds of greens and vegetation. Most parrots likely eat nuts, flowers, fruit, buds, seeds and insects, nectars, berries, etc.
Parrots love to eat seeds. Seeds are the most common part of their diet.
They have very sharp and strong jaws that they use to crack open nutshells and reach the seeds inside. Cranberries are very beneficial for parrots, too, with their minerals and vitamins.
Parakeet:
Parakeets like to eat seeds, pellets, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts. Parakeets also love greens such as broccoli florets, dark leafy plants, nicely chopped and cut carrots, sweet potatoes, and other vegetables. They like pellets, but they also love whole seeds.
You should try to give your parakeet a healthy, balanced diet that improves their immune system. Cranberries are full of antioxidants and will boost up their immune system a lot.
Cockatiel:
Cockatiels love to eat seeds as they are known to raid farmers’ crops. They love whole seeds, grains, leafy greens, fruits, berries, and vegetation. You could give your cockatiel non- sulfured and naturally processed cranberries.
They are a good source of nutrients for them as well as raisins but keep them organic.
Finch:
Finches enjoy a variety of diets. They are not particularly picky eaters, and they like to eat a variety of plants, especially greens. The weather and the grasses available outside largely constitute a finch’s diet.
At that time depending on seed availability, insects and fruits outside and berries available outside. They should be given cranberries for being naturally high in calcium and potassium.
Lovebird:
Lovebirds like to eat mostly fruits like pears, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, apples, bananas, oranges, tangerines, and chopped-off cherries, and also rose hips. Cranberries can be very beneficial for them as their diet contains a lot of fruits.
Dove:
Doves mostly eat seeds, so they are unlikely to eat cranberries. They also eat worms, snails, and insects, but wild doves and pigeons can be seen eating berries and other fruits and crops.
Parrotlet :
Parrotlets are a variation of parrots. So they eat both meat and vegetation, including nuts, flowers, fruit, buds, seeds, and others. They can eat cranberries if they are processed correctly for the parrotlets.
Cockatoo:
Cockatoos enjoy blossoms, seeds, nuts, berries, roots, leaf buds, and herbaceous plants, etc. They can be seen raiding farmers’ crops for food, destroying sprouts, taking mature crops, and bagging grain. They eat berries, so cranberries are also in their food pallet.
Conure:
Conure eats a lot of insects and their larva as well. They like to feed in the treetops. They are also known to raid crop fields and eat nuts, cranberries, and also other berries, fruits, seeds, leaves, and vegetation.
Pionus Parrots:
Pionus parrots mostly eat during the morning. They like to feed on fresh fruits and fresh vegetables in the morning, making cranberries a good option for them.
African Greys:
African greys eat fruits, leaves, and bark of trees as well as flowers. In captivity, they feed on supplementary fruits and varied forms of vegetables. Greys love to eat rice, cooked beans, tortillas, potatoes and pasta, cooked chicken, etc.
Robins:
Robins like to dig up dirt from the garden and feed on worms and beetles, and other insects. They also eat cranberries, raisins, nectars, sunflowers seed as well.
Are cranberries good for birds?
Cranberries are really good for birds as they are enriched with vitamins and minerals. They have a lot of health benefits, including helping with immunity boost, heart problems, stomach problems, bone structure because of calcium and potassium.
Do birds like to eat fresh raw cranberries, dried cranberries, cranberry juice, or cranberry sauce?
Birds can be given different kinds of berries as they don’t really like their tart tastes. We are mentioning some of them below:
Fresh raw cranberries:
Fresh raw cranberries have a tart taste, but they have the most nutritional benefits with full of Vitamins. Cardinals, Nuthatches, Grosbeaks, chickadees can handle it while some cannot.
Dried Cranberries:
Dried cranberries are the best option as they have higher levels of sugar and a less bitter taste but are also high in nutrients for the birds.
Cranberry juice or Cranberry sauce:
You can try to give the birds some cranberry juice or sauce with less sweetener for beneficial health purposes.
What birds eat dried cranberries? Are dried cranberries safe for birds?
A lot of birds eat dried cranberries. Most mentionable are mockingbirds, bluebirds, catbirds, and waxwings. Wild birds like them especially along with your pets or garden birds.
They don’t have much bitter and sour taste like raw cranberries. They are safe if they are given in small pieces and in moderation because they are high in sugar levels which is not good for the birds.
Do birds eat high bush cranberries?
Birds do eat high bush cranberries though many seem to fall over like a dried raisin. They stay green at the beginning and then turn red during the summer season, they have to go through a process to make them palatable, but many birds do still eat high bush cranberries.
How to feed cranberries to birds?
Many birds tend not to eat cranberries because they taste sour and bitter. Some birds still eat them, but as they do not harm them but have exceptional medicinal values, you should feed your pets and garden birds cranberries for nutrients.
We are mentioning some ways how you can do that below:
Small Pieces:
Try to make small pieces of cranberries, maybe used dried once but do not use sulfured ones as they could harm them. Try using the natural once. Chop them up and spread them across where they live or give them in a bowl.
Water Floating:
You can also use the water floating technique. Cut the cranberries into smaller pieces and throw them in the bath bowl or birdbath and let them float. The birds will peck them once or twice just out of curiosity and may end up eating them.
Try using natural cranberries without any processing. You can use dried cranberries but use them in a minimal amount for their high sugar levels.
Final Thoughts
Dried, raw, juice, or sauce of cranberry – all are very healthy for the birds. They have high levels of antioxidants, calcium, potassium, vitamins, and minerals. Cardinals, Nuthatches, Grosbeaks, Jays, Titmice, chickadees, Finches eat raw as most birds eat dried or other forms of cranberries.