The Role of Flowers in Bird Diets

Flowers, buds and nectar figure heavily in the natural diets of many parrots, finches and softbills.  In fact, lories and lorikeets are actually “floral specialists” (please see drawing of lorikeet tongue, adapted for nectar feeding).  However, with the exception of nectar-mixes, flowers have largely been ignored by most pet keepers.

Flowers are also a major food item of several less commonly-kept softbills, including hummingbirds, sunbirds and the aptly-named flower-peckers. Ornithologists speculate that the brilliant colors of some species may have evolved to provide camouflage during feeding sessions in flowering trees. 

Behavioral Stimulation

In addition to their nutritional value, flowers can provide important behavioral stimulation for parrots and other birds.  Most parrots delight in tearing them to bits, and bud-covered fruit tree branches (apple, pear, plum etc.) will provide hours of entertainment for both pet and pet-owner.  Finches, White-Eyes, Pekin Robins and other small birds will also poke about in flowers for insect treats, real or “imagined”, and may consume petals and nectar as well.

Purchasing Flowers

Fortunately, it’s quite simple to incorporate flowers into your birds’ diets.  Many bird-safe flowers are relished by people, and are available in food stores.  In NYC markets, I’ve come across squash, zucchini, rose and daylily flowers (note: not all daylilies are safe for people or birds, so do not pick your own), as well as a number that I did not recognize.  Korean, Chinese and Indian neighborhoods have proven especially rich flower-hunting grounds. 

Do not buy edible flowers from garden supply outlets or florists, as these will not have been slated for human consumption and would likely have been exposed to toxic chemicals.

Dried flowers specifically marketed as bird food are also a useful option.  Goldenfeast’s Hibiscus and Chamomile

may be offered to a variety of parrots, finches and softbills.

Growing and Collecting Flowers for Your Birds

If the option is available to you, growing your own edible flowers is a great alternative to shopping. 

Harvesting wild flowers is also possible, but you must be confident in your ability to identify the various species and have access to a pesticide-free collecting site.  A field guide will be useful in this regard.

Common, Easy-to-Grow Edible Flowers

The following common flowers are readily accepted by many birds and can easily be grown or, in some cases, purchased at food markets.  Do not buy flowers intended as food anywhere other than at a food market; please see above.

Daisy                                                   Marigold

Dandelion                                           Rose

Carnation                                            Sunflower

Violet                                                  Zucchini Blossoms

Tulip                                                    Squash Blossoms

Elderberry                                           Hibiscus

Impatiens                                            Apple,Plum and Pear Blossoms

Please check out my posts on Twitter and Facebook.  Each day, I highlight breaking research, conservation news and interesting stories concerning just about every type of animal imaginable.  I look forward to hearing about your interests and experiences as well, and will use them in articles when possible.

Please also post your questions and comments here…I’ll be sure to respond quickly. 

Thanks, until next time,

Frank Indiviglio

Further Reading

Further information on edible and poisonous flowers; written with people in mind but applicable to birds.

Gardening for Pet Birds

Eat Your Roses: a guide to 50+ edible flowers

Lorikeets image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Tatiana Gerus

Plain-Throated Sunbird image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Ltshears

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Using Flowers as Food for Parrots, Finches and other Birds

Pellet Pros and Cons

Great progress has been made in the development of pelleted parrot foods in recent years, and they now play an important role in both zoo and pet parrot care.  However, the convenience offered by pellets may lead one into poor bird-keeping habits.  Ideally, as mentioned in the articles below, a species-appropriate combination of natural and pelleted foods should be provided.

Providing a complete diet based on seeds, nuts, fruits, nectar, insects and other natural foods is difficult and time consuming (I find it interesting as well, but not everyone agrees!).  In addition, it can be difficult – maddeningly so at times – to induce parrots to eat “what they should”.  Diets comprised of whole food items allow birds to pick and choose – indeed, nutritional deficiencies caused by this problem spurred the development of pelleted diets.  As parrots must eat the whole pellet, choice is removed from the equation. 

However, whether we are dealing with people, zebras (yes, there is a zebra pellet, and scores of others) or parrots, certain nutrients are difficult if not impossible to incorporate into processed foods.

The Food-Boredom Link

The article linked below highlights many problems that may be linked to the inappropriate use of pellets, such as formula variations and chick rearing concerns. One of these is a topic that I tend to focus on as well – the importance of food in keeping an animal occupied and interested in its environment.  This holds for all creatures, but especially so for parrots and other active, highly-intelligent birds. 

Responsible zoos now require that “behavioral enrichment” be a part of parrot husbandry, and pet keepers should as well.  Seeds, nuts, whole fruits, tree branches with buds and flowers and other such food items play an invaluable role in this regard.  From sunbirds to elephants, most animals spend the majority of their time gathering food.  A parrot that fills up in 5 minutes by eating a bowl of pellets is in for an unhappy existence.

What to Do

When formulating a diet for your bird, nothing beats careful research into its natural history.  The information is out there, but one must usually go beyond “googling” the species…please write in for details if you need further information.  Pellets eliminate this step, but at what cost?  Even if your bird thrives, much of value will be lost if you do not go through the research yourself.

Achieving the proper balance between natural foods and pellets will be an ongoing process, and dependent upon the species, individual and a great many factors…please write in for further information.

Species Specific Diets

Species specific pellets, such as Pretty Bird Cockatiel Food, are an important step forward.  Several seed-based diets are also now formulated with specific groups of birds in mind.  Please review what’s available in pelleted and natural bird foods and be sure to write in if you need assistance.

Further Reading

The check out the articles mentioned above and others on this topic:

Views on Pelleted Foods

Alternative Bird Foods (back when we had to cook horsemeat and other goodies)

Pellet-based Diets for Parrots

Sprouting Seeds for Pet Birds

Gardening for Pet Birds  

Please write in with your questions and comments. 

Thanks, until next time,

Frank Indiviglio

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Parrot Nutrition – Pellets Re-visited

The Importance of Insects

A bag of Freeze Dried Mealworms is a very useful item for both pet keepers and wild bird enthusiasts to have on hand.  Providing both calcium and much-needed protein, insects continue to figure in the diets of many birds even during the coldest months.  Although not visible to us, insects are always about – some species hibernate, while others pass the winter as eggs or pupae.  These are avidly sought by many typical feeder visitors, but especially Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Blue Jays and Juncos.  Insects become especially important in late winter, when female birds need to increase their calcium stores in preparation for egg-laying.

Mealworms and other insects are also taken by almost all commonly-kept finches, as well as by softbills such as Peking Robins, Shama Thrushes and Bulbuls, and they are a must for parents raising chicks. 

All too often the hassle of maintaining live insect colonies gets in the way of providing our birds with the best diets possible – especially where those species that can “get by” without them (most non-breeding finches) are concerned.  Freeze dried mealworms offer a great alternative, being easy to store for long periods of time and containing the same nutritional value as live mealworms.

Hand-taming Wild Birds

Habituating wild birds to feed from the hand is a wonderful and challenging hobby (please see article referenced below).  Nothing overcomes the fears of wild birds like a succulent mealworm – especially if offered in winter, when insects are hard to come by.

Further Reading

Please see my article Hand Taming Wild Birds for tips on this most enjoyable undertaking.

Canned grasshoppers, silkworms and other insects, marketed for pet reptiles, are very useful foods for birds as well. Please see my article Collecting and Using Live and Processed Insects for Birds for more information.

Please write in with your questions and comments. 

Thanks, until next time,

Frank Indiviglio

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Freeze Dried Mealworms – a Healthy, Convenient Food for Wild and Pet Birds

A Useful Feeding Technique (or Trick!)

Enter Lafeber Nutri-Berries.  Nutri-Berries are a unique combination of pellets, molasses, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and other ingredients, combined in a nugget that is very well-accepted by a wide variety of parrots.  Most importantly, their consistency is such that even the most fastidious pet will be unable to pick out favorite items.

Nutri-Berries offer, therefore, the best option available to those seeking to introduce pellets to a bird’s diet in a manner that pleasing to both parrot and parrot owner alike.  In fact, they are being increasingly recommended by veterinarians and serious aviculturists. 

Their nutritional content is such that, when supplemented by fresh fruits, vegetables, sprouts and such other foods as may be needed by various parrot species, Nutri-Berries can be used as a dietary staple.

Species-Specific Nutri-Berries

Nutri-Berries  are available in a wide variety of flavors and in sizes suitable for average-sized parrots, cockatiels, and macaws and cockatoos. Budgerigars, who are often among the worst offenders when it comes to being picky eaters, readily accept cockatiel-sized Nutri-Berries.

Further Reading

There are a great many other feeding options available to those who keep parrots and other birds.  For a look at what zoos and private aviculturists have tried over the years, please see my article Alternative Bird Foods.

Please write in with your questions and ideas for providing parrots with healthful diets.  Thanks, until next time, Frank Indiviglio.

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Convincing Your Parrot to Accept Pellets – Lafeber Nutri-Berries

Insects are readily taken by most captive softbills (finches, canaries and other “non-parrot” species), and are often essential in bringing birds into breeding condition and for the rearing of chicks.  Those of us who keep birds such as smaller finches, Peking robins, shama thrushes and leafbirds are often hard put to find suitably-sized insects.

Small crickets can be purchased at many pet stores, and a few tiny individuals are usually to be found in containers of wax worms and butter worms. A breeding colony of earthworms and mealworms is another option, but such may not be practical for the casual or “accidental” breeder.

In other articles, I have urged softbill keepers to investigate the use of Canned Insects, the Zoo Med Bug Napper and other products originally designed for reptile enthusiasts (please see below).  I would like to now add Zoo Med Anole Food to my list of suggestions.  The dried, laboratory-raised flies that this product contains are ideally sized for even the tiniest of finches and their chicks.  Your birds’ acceptance of this new food might be hastened by misting the flies with a bit of water, or by mixing a few small live mealworms among them.

Feedback on your experiences with this or related products, or other suggestions, would be most appreciated.  Thanks, until next time, Frank Indiviglio.

You can read another of my articles on this topic by clicking on the following link:

Feeding Insects to Pet Birds – useful products designed for reptiles

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Feeding Insects to Pet Birds: Zoo Med’s Anole Food

Last time we took a look at some of the fine foods available to those who keep softbills and lories as pets (Please see Alternative Bird Foods – Yesterday and Today, Part I).  I mentioned that these products have greatly simplified the captive husbandry of a number of species, and alluded to the difficulties involved in preparing certain diets from scratch.

Today I’d like to recount what it was like to be a bird keeper assigned to prepare food for the huge collection of insectivorous birds at New York City’s Bronx Zoo.

Birds and Bird Keepers Must Eat Early

I rose at 3:20 AM (despite the dreadful hour, I awoke hungry and so allowed time for feeding myself before even thinking about birds of any sort!), and arrived at the zoo by 5:15 AM or so.  The walk from my car to the World of Birds took me along the Bronx River, and my arrival at the door was often delayed by the parade of creatures out and about at that time – perhaps a family of striped skunks, or any of the 265+ bird species recorded nearby. 

Cooking and Mixing

The first order of business was cooking 80 pounds of horsemeat which, I must admit, smelled quite sweet and roused me to hunger once again. I also hard-boiled 60 dozen eggs, which were then ground (with the shells) and, along with vitamin and mineral supplements, mixed with the meat.  

Diets for individual exhibits and birds were posted over the mixing table, on a board that measured about 18′ x 3′.  Individual ingredients were then added to the pans, as per the needs of the various species – mealworms, newly molted mealworms, blueberries, mixed fruits, chopped vegetables and innumerable other ingredients all had a place.

Delivering the Food

We kept a great many mixed species exhibits, so food pan placement was of paramount importance. Some pans went to areas accessible only to tiny birds; others went in wire cages that functioned as traps, allowing the keepers to capture birds needing attention, while many were positioned so as to afford the public a good view of the feeding birds. 

Without carful attention to such details, birds in large exhibits often become malnourished.  Oddly enough, the most dominant individuals often fare the worst, as they select only favored treats, such as mealworms and crickets…leaving the others to consume the more nutritious basic diet.

An Array of Other Foods

Diets for specialized feeders – nectar for hummingbirds and sunbirds, nuts and fruits for cassowaries, fish for bald eagles, mash for flamingos, rodents and insects for burrowing owls, and so forth – came next…more about that in the future.  Thanks, until next time, Frank Indiviglio.

Please check out my other articles on bird nutrition:

Grit and Gizzards – how birds digest seeds

Feeding Insects to Pet Birds – useful products designed for reptiles

Iodine Deficiency (Avian Goiter, Thyroid Hyperplasia) in Parrots, and Other Cage Birds

Product Review: Vitakraft’s Sprout Pot – a Convenient Method of Supplying Your Birds with Valuable Nutrients

Sprouting Seeds at Home: A Useful Method of Providing Pet Birds with Nutritious Treats

Pet Birds and Plants, Part I & II – avoiding toxic species

Please write in with your questions and comments. Thanks, until next time, Frank Indiviglio.

An interesting perspective on feeding birds and other animals at Australia’s Taronga Park Zoo is posted at:

http://www.abc.net.au/gnt/future/Transcripts/s1053563.htm

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Product Review: Alternative Bird Foods – Yesterday and Today, Part II

The nutritional needs of some of our most colorful and interesting pet birds are not met by seed-based diets. Lories and lorikeets, for example, require a soupy mix of fruits and nectars. Many gorgeous softbills, such as the shama thrush (Copsychus malabaricus) and Peking robin (Leiothrix lutea) subsist largely upon insects, and require a high-protein diet if they are to thrive in captivity.

Dietary Specialists
Such birds were, in earlier times, considered to be “delicate” captives, and hence were largely ignored by aviculturists, or left to well-heeled experts. Providing them with a balanced diet required painstaking daily efforts, and usually involved gathering a variety of uncommon ingredients and a good deal of cooking.

I well remember preparing, twice daily, meals for the Bronx Zoo’s rare Tahitian lories (Vini peruviana). Breakfast was put together at 5:30 AM, and consisted of a blended shake containing fresh papaya, blueberries, nectar (apricot, pear, peach and guava), yogurt, vitamins and mineral powder. Their second meal was comprised of several types of commercial nectars (designed for hummingbirds and sunbirds), each containing several ingredients and mixed separately, as well as various tropical fruits and insects.

Commercial Diets for Picky Birds
In time we learned that many birds formerly thought to be difficult captives were actually quite hearty and long-lived, given the proper diet. Commercial, pre-mixed diets evolved, and now we are in the happy situation of being able to keep a wide variety of interesting species in our homes. Pretty Bird Species Specific Food for Lories and Goldenfeast NectarGold for Lories and Lorikeets serve well as basic diets for the specialized lories and lorikeets. Pretty Bird Softbill Select and Higgins Egg Food are of great value in maintaining toucans, barbets, tanagers, bulbuls and a host of others.

Many seed eating birds, especially the various finches, consume insects and fruit in the wild, and nearly all will benefit from a bit of Softbill Diet and Egg Food from time to time. When such birds are rearing chicks, these foods are vital.

Live, Canned and Collected Insects

Live crickets, mealworms, waxworms and other insects will be appreciated by nearly all softbills. A very useful innovation to appear recently has been the Canned Insects (marketed for reptile pets) by Exo-Terra and ZooMed.

I urge you to give these a try for finches and other softbills. Zoo Med’s Bug Napper Insect Trap provides an easy (and interesting!) means of collecting wild insects – trust me, your birds will consider moths, beetles and the like a very special treat indeed.

Next week I’ll describe what was involved in feeding the Bronx Zoo’s huge collection of insectivorous birds before the advent of commercially-prepared diets. Until then, please write in with your comments and questions.

Until Next Time, Frank Indiviglio

Please see my article Providing Insects to Pet Birds…Useful Products Designed for Reptiles, on this blog, for more information on feeding softbills and other birds.

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Product Review: Alternative Bird Foods – Yesterday and Today, Part I