What Do Perching Birds Eat?

Perching birds, or passeriformes, are the largest family of birds numbering over 5,000 species. They're characterized by three forward facing toes and one toe facing backward. Familiar perching birds include finches, sparrows, thrushes, wrens and blackbirds. Depending upon their habitat, perching birds feed on a variety of plant and animal foods.

Bills, Bills, Bills

The shape of a bird's bill provides clues to its diet. Finches and sparrows are seed eaters, and have conical bills designed for shelling seeds. Insect eating birds have narrow bills useful for catching and carrying their prey.

Backyard Bird Feeding

Most birds that visit bird feeders are perching birds. Cardinals, goldfinches, juncos, sparrows, grossbeaks and jays are examples of familiar perching birds.

Insect Eaters

Warblers, wrens, vireos and swallows are among perching birds that live on insects, larvae and insect eggs. Insect eating perching birds may pick their prey from plants, or catch it on the wing.

Omnivores

Many perching birds eat a combination of insects and vegetable foods. Robins, mockingbirds, thrushes, starlings, blackbirds, jays and crows are examples of combination feeders.

Carniverous Perching Birds

A few perching birds eat lizards, rodents, eggs and birds. These include shrikes, cuckoos, jays, crows and roadrunners.

Pet Perching Birds

Perching birds commonly kept as pets include domesticated canaries and many types of finches. These birds are predominantly seed eaters, but they also eat greens and fruit. It is illegal to keep native perching birds in captivity.