What Birds Eat Peanuts

Garden bird feeding has been a popular hobby in the United Kingdom for well over a century, and peanuts have long been one of the most popular foods available.

Peanuts are a favorite food of wild birds for a reason: although being technically a ‘legume' rather than a nut, they provide a perfect balance of protein and oil, which are both essential for energy and overall health. Peanuts are now grown in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes all over the world in suitable temperatures.

What to Consider When Feeding Peanuts to Birds

When it comes to feeding peanuts to birds, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Aflatoxin - During their growth and storage, peanuts are extremely sensitive to mould. The fungus Asperillus Flavus, in particular, produces significant amounts of aflatoxin, a very lethal carcinogen when swallowed by animals and birds.

Harvesting and storing peanuts — Peanuts are an annual herbaceous plant that belongs to the pea family rather than the nut family. The stem continues to develop after flowering until the fruit head bends over and is pushed into the ground, where the pod expands and develops. The entire plant is hoisted and turned upside down during harvest. After that, the peanut plants are dried for three or four days, losing up to two-thirds of their moisture content. Mold can swiftly contaminate the entire crop if the ripening cycle is disrupted for any reason.In addition, inadequate storage and/or transportation can lead to contamination, allowing molds to thrive and damage the crop, particularly the aflatoxin-producing fungus.

Peanuts are produced across many continents where hot climatic conditions suit them, despite their origins in South America. China, India, the United States, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Argentina are the top peanut producers in terms of volume. Peanuts have been farmed for food for thousands of years, but it is only since the nineteenth century that they have become a staple food crop, having previously been planted largely for animal feed.

Cultivars - Each year, new peanut cultivars are developed, but they all come from the same four families: Spanish, Runner, Virginia, and Valencia. Disease resistance, drought tolerance, size, taste, and other characteristics are unique to each group and new cultivar. Each characteristic makes them more or less suitable for various applications and cultivation in various climates.

What Birds Eat Peanuts?

If you leave peanuts out, a variety of birds will eat them. Wrens, great tits, blue tits, woodpeckers, jays, doves, and crows are all common garden birds that eat peanuts. If you leave peanuts out in your garden for the birds, make sure they're out of reach of other animals, as squirrels will devour them.

Are peanuts good for birds?

Peanuts are a fantastic source of food for birds, so don't be afraid to leave them in your garden. They're simple to find and refill - just make sure they're unsalted and unsweetened. Because peanuts are heavy in fat, they provide a lot of energy and calories, which is especially useful during the winter months. If necessary, birds can store them for the winter.

Do not feed raw peanuts to birds

Trypsin inhibitors can be found in legumes such as beans, peas, soy beans, and peanuts.

I'm not an expert, so I could be mistaken. However, it appears that certain foods can obstruct digestion when consumed raw. This could prevent nutrients from all foods from being absorbed by the body when they are consumed.

The solution is to provide roasted peanuts to the birds. The problem is evidently solved by roasting or cooking. To remove the trypsin inhibitors, one source for feeding peanuts to birds suggested roasting raw peanuts for 15 minutes at 350°F in the oven.

Nuts that have been salted or sugared should not be fed to birds

Humans are aware of the harmful effects of high-salt and high-sugar diets. But the truth is that we have no idea how these additions affect the life of wild birds who only live for a half-dozen to ten years.

In fact, under certain conditions, certain finches actively seek out salt (cow salt licks).

You don't want to hurt the birds that visit your backyard bird feeder. As a result, avoid feeding birds salty potato or corn chips, fried foods, or sugared or salted peanuts on a regular basis.

Peanuts can be fed to birds in a variety of ways

The following are some of the most common ways to feed peanuts to birds.

Peanuts in their shells whole

Jays and other birds enjoy whole (roasted, unsalted) peanuts in the shell. Most birds, especially in the fall, will likely take the peanuts and stash them away in a secret stockpile for later in the winter.

Blue Jays, Tufted Titmouses, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Common Grackles, Fish Crows, European Starlings, and Steller's Jays have all been observed to like whole peanuts in the shell. At bird feeders, not all of these are welcome.

Are Peanuts Healthy for Birds?

Don't get discouraged if you don't immediately attract peanut eaters. Remind yourself that the wait is well worth it. Consider the variety of birds you can attract to your yard by offering peanuts:

Jays

Woodpeckers

Chickadees

Titmice

Nuthatches

Magpies

Sparrows

House finches

Cardinals