You can give titmouse salted fat. Is it possible for birds to have Hercules. How to feed tits in winter and why it is needed. Allowed products for tits

With the advent of winter, hard times come for tits, and it is in our power to help our feathered friends survive until warm days, supplying them with food as far as possible. But you need to do it right so as not to harm ...

The content of the article:

1. General rules for feeding tits.
2. The best meal.
3. Why is the titmouse fat?
4. Table number 1: what can and cannot be fed to tits in winter.
5. Table No. 2% of what can and cannot be fed to wintering birds.
6. Table number 3: Fried and salty foods should not be given to birds.
7. Creative design ideas for chickadee food. We craft with children.

Tits feeding rules

First of all, it is important to remember: this is only about feeding, so there should be enough food for your feathered wards to eat it at a time. An enhanced diet is justified only in severe frosts. It may seem cruel, but if you give your titmouse too much food, they will quickly get used to the "easy" life and lose the ability to search for food on their own.

For arranging a bird dining room, it is desirable to find a secluded place located high enough above the ground so that rodents and pets do not reach it. Time the feeding to a certain time, and the smart titmouse will quickly learn the daily routine. And the last thing: if you have already begun to feed the tits, do it until the very spring, do not force your pets to circle over the feeder in vain.

Months when tits (and other birds wintering in the city) need to be fed:

• from early November to mid-April.

It is important to consider that the titmouse needs to adhere to a certain “diet”. Prohibited:

• Any bread baked with yeast, which causes fermentation in the stomach,
• Fried foods, all salty, spicy, sweet.
• Raw cereals, dairy products, potatoes, cabbage, peas.

The best treat for a yellow-breasted tiny bird will be:

• Any raw seeds: pumpkin, sunflower flax;
• Dried berries of mountain ash, hawthorn, cranberries, lingonberries;
• Crushed almonds, peanuts walnuts (also raw);
• Finely crushed hard-boiled egg, apple pieces, unleavened bread.
• And, of course, fat. More about this

Why is the titmouse fat?

In order not to freeze, a small bird needs a fairly thick layer of fat, and lard is the best product that can help it with this. But it should be remembered that fat should only be fresh. The product is salted, smoked, fried, etc. will do more harm than good by disrupting the digestive process.

Product Lists

Table number 1: what to feed the TITS in winter

Table number 2: what to feed WINTER BIRDS

Table number 3: Fried and salty foods CANNOT be given to birds

Feeding tits in winter with children

Feed tits and other birds in winter with your children! For a child, this can be an exciting activity that will teach you how to protect nature. To interest the baby, try to arrange the bird's dining room in the most original way. Here are some ideas:

• Fat swing: hang an oblong piece at both ends on a branch, and the titmouse will not only have lunch, but also ride with pleasure, arousing admiration from the audience;
• A brave bird will not refuse to take a treat right from your palm, you just need to be patient;
• Create with your child any figures from fat, cutting them out with a knife;
• Treat the birds with a “barbecue”, stringing products on strings (pieces of bacon, berries) and hanging them in this form on the branches;
• Collect pine cones, spread with peanut butter and roll in unroasted and unsalted sunflower seeds, crushed nuts, dried berries. Hang delicious cones on the branches, and they will be a great treat for your feathered friends!

And finally, come up with bird delicacies yourself, calling on your imagination and using the knowledge gained from this article!

People have long treated tits with awe and even respect. Small birds are not only an amusing object for observation, but also capable of bringing tangible benefits to a person. By studying what tits eat, you can attract winged friends to your homes and gardens and help them survive during a difficult period.

What do tits eat in warm weather

At this time, there is plenty of food for birds. The basis of the diet is insects, as well as their larvae and eggs. Butterflies and grasshoppers, weevils and ants, crickets and dragonflies attract the attention of tits ... The bird does not disdain even such food that most other birds do not like, for example, hawthorn and silkworm caterpillars.

The prey is not always in the open, but this does not become an obstacle for the nimble bird to eat. Due to its size and the structure of its beak, it is able to get food from the most hidden places. The tit diligently explores cracks in the tree bark, cracks in the axils of the leaves and other shelters of insects.

Tenacious paws also help to feed the agile bird. The tit deftly grabs the branches with fingers with sharp curved claws and, swinging back down on them, carefully searches for its favorite food, the need for which the birds have is quite large. How much does a tit eat? No less than she weighs!

Such gluttony of small pigalits is very attractive to gardeners. After all, very often insects that can damage fruit trees and other cultures planted by humans become a bird's dinner. The result of the activity of birds will be a saved crop.

Tits also do not disdain plant foods. The need for it increases in autumn, when the animal diet of birds becomes noticeably poorer. They look for seeds and, if they need to get to the core, they open the shell with strong blows of the beak. They eat feathered and various fruits, pecking them. In addition, they will never give up berries and tree buds.

How to help birds survive the winter

During this period, tits do not make cardinal flights to warm countries, but the lack of food and the onset of cold make them leave forests and parks and settle closer to humans. So the birds have the opportunity to get more food, and people have the opportunity to help the tits hold out until spring.

Smart birds quickly memorize the places where the feeders are hung, and noisy flocks swoop down on carefully prepared treats. But it is worth noting that not all food that tits like is considered healthy for them. For example, fried and salty are harmful. But what kind of food you can pamper winged pets:

1. Seeds. Their tits are always eaten with pleasure, and not in vain - this product contains vegetable fats, which makes it an indispensable source of energy in difficult winter frost conditions for birds. Seeds are suitable for both sunflower (non-roasted) and larger ones - watermelon, melon. They can be stocked up since the fall, taking out the purchased fruits from the pulp and drying them. However, titmouse will not refuse the seeds of such vegetables from the garden as zucchini and pumpkin.
2. Grains and cereals. Birds will not mind eating millet, buckwheat, barley. Such food should be served dry, since the viscous porridge freezes quickly in winter.
3. Berries and fruits. With them, beneficial vitamins enter the body of tits. Birds will certainly rejoice at the fruits of mountain ash and hawthorn, dried in autumn and sprinkled in a titmouse. Useful and nutritious for birds and apples. It is not necessary to grind them strongly - the birds themselves will pinch off pieces of the desired size.
4. Nuts. An expensive delicacy, tits will no doubt like it. They will peck at both walnuts and other types of nuts. Such hearty and high-calorie food will help the birds survive the harsh times.
5. Salo. Almost everyone knows that tits love this product. Birds never leave hanging unsalted slices unattended. But not everyone knows why tits eat fat. And the thing is that such food is an excellent substitute for their natural food - insects. Deciding to pamper the birds in this way, you can make pieces of lard larger. Tits will stick sharp claws into them and, hanging like that, will enjoy their favorite food for their own pleasure.
6. Meat. Birds also love him very much, although for some it will even be a discovery. In fact, titmouse willingly peck both the meat itself, in any form, and products made from it. For example, you can be generous and treat the birds with pieces of sausage.

In winter, tits are vital for human support. And for this care, the yellow-breasted fidgets will certainly repay good!

"A man is not a god, all that is next to wonderful animals and birds." (Ernest Hemingway)

"Feed the birds in winter - in due time they will help your soul ascend to heaven." (Marat Amir)

Alas, the sunny Indian summer, and then the short golden autumn, will soon inevitably give way to rains, chilly winds and long nights. And then until the cold winter is at hand.

And if you and I can hide in warm houses, read interesting books, watch our favorite films, dream about a magical Christmas time, then small birds wintering in our area often simply do not have enough strength and food to survive a long cold period. And in today's changing climate (today cold, and tomorrow deadly freezing rain), their chances of survival become illusory.

Today I want to tell you in detail what can you feed titmouse during the cold season.

I beg you to help these cheerful, bright and unusually positive birds! It is known that in severe winters, on average, 8-9 out of 10 tits die!!!

And in sparrows, out of a dozen, only 1-2 individuals die.

It is very difficult for small birds to find food for themselves in the cold season, when all insects are hibernating, and berries, fruits and seeds have already mostly crumbled and disappeared under the snow.

Thick fluff and dense feathers of titmouse provide sufficient protection of the body from heat loss, but are not able to create it.

Birds get energy to maintain their high temperature, reaching 42 degrees in some species, only from food.

At the same time, the lower the air temperature drops, the more actively the atmosphere takes away heat, which means that small birds need more food to replenish energy costs.

On the other hand, the winter day is short, and the tits stop active activity already at dusk, so they have much less time than in summer to search for a sufficient amount of food. If the tit remains hungry by evening, by morning it will inevitably freeze to death.

But tits destroy a huge number of harmful insects in our gardens, city parks and forests in the warm season.

In addition, titmouse always improve our mood with their cheerful chirping and funny habits.

Processed by: Helicon Filter;

By the way, there is an opinion that these birds got their name not at all because of the blue color of the feathers (which is absent in many types of tits), but because of their melodic squeak “siii-siii”.

The great tit does not make its own winter reserves, however, it skillfully finds and eats food hidden by other birds. Sometimes the great tit even eats carrion.

Great tits often visit bird feeders, so we can help these birds most often.

2. What NOT to feed tits

First of all, you can not feed anything salty (lard, seeds, pistachios, chips, crackers). It is difficult for birds to remove excess salt from the body, because they do not have sweat glands. All the work falls on the kidneys, and they may not withstand the increased load. In addition, some salts are deposited in the joints, which will disrupt the musculoskeletal system of the bird and cause her severe pain.

Do not feed the birds anything sweet.

Roasted sunflower seeds and hazelnuts. Danger for tits are fats, the excess of which affects the liver and pancreas, as well as the carcinogens of such food.

You should never feed birds with rye (black) bread. He very quickly begins to wander, often already in the goiter of the bird, making it difficult, and in some cases blocking breathing, since the goiter expanded from gases presses on the trachea.

Also, you can not feed fresh wheat (white) bread. It causes indigestion because it turns into a sticky mass that is difficult to move through the digestive system.

You can not offer moldy bread to tits or spoiled cereal

It is impossible to feed the kernels (seeds) from the bones of cherries, peach, apricot, and almonds to tits. They are rich in hydrocyanic acid and even for humans, their excessive use is fraught with poisoning.

You can not feed tits with peeled millet. Cleaned from membranous shells, it is covered with fine bitter dust, which the housewives wash off with hot water before cooking. Especially dangerous is old, rancid millet, on the surface of which there are oxidized fats.

Potatoes should not be given to birds. Raw tubers contain the alkaloid solanine, which is enough for a bird to seriously poison a tiny amount. Boiled potatoes can be considered as almost pure starch - a food that is extremely difficult for the bird's digestive system. The same applies to rice - you should not feed birds with it.

You can not give tits mushrooms. These organisms actively accumulate heavy and radioactive metals and can carry Clostridial spores that cause botulism. No canned goods! In addition to the product itself, they contain vinegar, sugar, salt, spices, preservatives and flavors that are completely unnecessary in a bird's diet.

Do not give birds soft and granular food for cats and dogs, especially economy class. They contain soy, yeast, fat and attractants - flavor enhancers designed to make the animal eat unnatural food for it.

Do not feed chicken feed.

And most importantly, you need to remember that you can’t feed tits on one day and throw them on another - the birds will spend a lot of energy and precious time (on a short winter day) visiting an empty feeder. Then they may not have time to eat their fill before dark - and by morning they will freeze and die! You can feed tits only regularly 2-3 times every day.

3. What can you feed tits

Not fried sunflower seeds, melon, pumpkin, watermelon.
Not salty fat (at air temperature below -5 degrees (so as not to spoil)

dried berries: red and black mountain ash, hawthorn, shadberry, wild rose, blueberry, elderberry ( this year, an excellent harvest of mountain ash and hawthorn. Can be harvested and dried)
Corn and hemp seeds

Grain(rye, corn, wheat, oats, millet)

Dried fruits and dried cherries

nuts(hazelnuts, peanuts, oily walnuts are very useful, but it is better to grind them)
Lightly salted cheese cut into small cubes
Can be in butter add seeds and various grains, freeze the pieces in the freezer, thread ropes into them and hang them on trees

prepared seeds of wild plants: horse sorrel, burdock, quinoa, succession, beech, pine, spruce, linden, maple, lilac, birch, hop cones.

Dry crumbs of white bread

Pre-made bird mixes from the pet store (but it's expensive)

Who does not mind, you can sometimes pamper with finely chopped pieces of meat, low-fat cottage cheese and a hard-boiled egg.

It is desirable to add food to the feeder at the same time in order to develop a conditioned reflex, and not more than 2-3 times a day, otherwise the birds will completely forget how to get their own food.

The most important top dressing is before dusk. so that the birds are full by night.

I also fill up the feeder at night so that hungry tits start feeding as early as possible in the morning.

I feed the tits mainly with unfried sunflower seeds, oats, millet, unsalted bacon, sometimes lightly salted chopped cheese. She gave linseed, hemp and canary seeds after freezing rains to help weakened birds survive.

I start feeding titmouse from mid-September and continue to do it with pleasure until the beginning of May. A huge and cheerful flock of great tits visits a transparent plastic feeder, hung on the kitchen window, often titmouse, sometimes Muscovites.

A couple of times even greenfinches flew in. And just like last Christmas, a miracle happened - a bright and luxurious bullfinch! True, my spoiled tits quickly drove him away 🙂

The terrible thing is that after severe frosts and icy (and simple) rains, individual individuals remain from a large flock of tits. So sorry for them! Such beautiful and smart birds!

4.Beautiful types of tits

And in the end - a selection of beautiful types of tits. It's impossible not to fall in love with them!

On the territory of Russia live: Great Tit, Lazorevka, Moskovka, Gaichka brown and gray, Remez.

great tit

Blue tit

You found a titmouse in the park and, succumbing to momentary pity, brought the bird home, and now, you understand that you can’t just let it go free? Or maybe your children brought the bird home? It doesn’t matter how the tit got into your home, but you clearly weren’t ready for it to appear there, so now you are wandering the Internet in search of answers to your questions about keeping these birds at home (by the way, you can read about how to keep budgerigars at home, about their types, and about the behavior of these birds). Well, finally you can exhale calmly - in this publication you will learn everything you need to know about keeping tits at home, what to feed them, how to equip a cage for them ...

Who knows, perhaps the appearance of this bird in your house will bring you good luck, and our article will help you properly care for it ...

In order for you not to doubt what kind of bird you brought into your home, we suggest starting our article by getting acquainted with its appearance. So, these are quite beautiful birds, the back of which is yellowish-green, the abdomen is covered with yellow plumage with a wide black stripe along the chest - it is called a “tie”. In males, such a tie becomes wider as it approaches the stomach, while in females, on the contrary, it narrows towards the bottom. The titmouse has white cheeks and the back of its head, but the rest of the plumage covering its head is black and shiny. The wings and tail of the bird are bluish in color, they have light transverse stripes. On the back you can see a bluish-gray color, but the plumage of the abdominal part is white.

The body length of the titmouse is 14-15 centimeters, however, there are also smaller titmouse.

With good care in captivity, a titmouse can live up to 5-6 years.

Tits - songbirds

If you didn’t know about this, then the statement that tits, in particular males of this species, are songbirds, and not only can envy the vociferousness of their trills, but will also be a pleasant discovery for you. So the bird you found might not be so useless after all. True, despite the fact that the male tits are singing, they are still not sold in pet stores. The sellers themselves explain this by saying that

the nature of these birds is conflicting and quarrelsome, they often quarrel and fight with other birds, therefore, it is impossible to keep them in a "company".

How to distinguish a male from a female? Very simply, the male bird has a dark tie in the form of a strip that descends from his chest to his stomach, the female also has it, but not so wide. Therefore, just pay attention to the width of such a “tie”, if you have something to compare with, and make your own verdict, who is in front of you - a male or a female.

If the male can become a songbird for you, then the female will simply please your eye ...

Features of keeping tits at home

We already wrote that these birds have

conflict nature, therefore, it is better to keep them in a cage one at a time. Also, do not plant tits with other birds - they will begin to conflict, and as a result of the fight, they can injure each other. Therefore, immediately take care of a separate housing for the bird. It should be spacious enough cage dimensions must be at least 45 centimeters by 30 centimeters by 40 centimeters. In principle, there are no other special requirements for a titmouse cage - it must be convenient in terms of cleaning, reliable and durable.

The place for the cage should be chosen in such a way that direct sunlight does not fall on it and it does not stand in a draft, and is away from electric and gas appliances.

How to feed a titmouse at home

Luckily, tits are omnivorous birds, so you shouldn't have any problems formulating their diet in captivity. The basis of their menu should be soft food, which may consist of grated carrots mixed with white breadcrumbs, with the addition of non-fat cottage cheese and minced meat or fish, as well as chopped chicken eggs. In such soft food, you can mix gammarus, ant eggs, dry insects.

By the way, all tits love mealworms, so if you treat them to such a delicacy every day, giving them several pieces of worms, the titmouse will be very happy about this.

Also, crushed hemp, unroasted sunflower seeds, broken pine nuts and walnuts can be given to birds. At the same time, nuts should be peeled and chopped, as the birds themselves do not know how to do this. And, here the grain mixtures need to be poured into separate feeders for tits, without mixing them with soft food.

Birds should always have access to clean water, and there should be 2 containers - one for drinking, and the second ... for swimming. Yes, tits love to take water treatments, so be sure to take care of an additional water tank if you do not want the tit to bathe in a drinking bowl.

Feeding tits is worth 2 times a day, in the morning and in the evening, pouring enough food for the bird so that it can eat it all. Remaining food should be removed so that you can add fresh food in the evening.

By the way, if you let a titmouse out of the cage, then be prepared for the fact that she will take care of her diet on her own, to the point that she can open a package of milk or steal a gingerbread from the cupboard ... These birds have excellent eyesight, so which is not surprising that in nature, when adult tits feed their chicks, they even bring them insect eggs, which cannot be seen at all without a magnifying glass. So, be sure, the tit will definitely not miss the gingerbread.

As for whether it is possible to give fat or meat trimmings to tits, you can occasionally pamper your bird with such a delicacy. To do this, hang a piece of unsalted fat on a thread at the top of the cage and be sure that your tit will have work for the whole day.

How to tame a titmouse

In principle, as experience shows, tits quickly get used to hands and become tame. True, for this they need time. Therefore, if you found and brought a bird home, then in order for it to get used to the new atmosphere and not try to break free from the cage, it is recommended to cover the cage with a white cloth for the first 2-3 weeks and put it in a room where there is no noise and loud noises are not heard. When the bird adapts to life in a cage, the fabric can be removed. Now you can no longer worry about the fact that the titmouse can damage its plumage and beak, trying to escape from the cage.

Once the bird has settled into its new home, you can start working on getting it used to you. To do this, put a few seeds on the palm of your hand and gently opening the cage doors, invite the tit to take them from your palm. At first, the feathered pet will behave wary, but then, making sure that you do not pose a threat to it, it will definitely take the seeds. Try not to make sudden movements at this moment and do not speak loudly so as not to frighten off the first confidential contact.

After that, the bird will gradually get used to you, and you will be able to pick it up. That's just, let the titmouse out of the cage, no matter how tame it is - we would not recommend it to you. There is always a high probability that she will remember her wild roots and try to break free through an open window or window. Even if they are closed, the titmouse can start beating out the window and injure its wings. Therefore, it is better to buy a spacious cage for her, in which she can fly, than to take risks every time, releasing her into the wild.

The article will tell you how to properly prepare food for wintering birds in the feeders.

A person often feels a desire to take care of "our smaller brothers." If you can't afford to volunteer at animal shelters or send monthly donations to voluntary animal welfare organizations, then you can feed the local birds during the winter season. By creating a feeder in your yard or on your balcony, you not only give food to small feathered creatures, you give them a chance to survive, extending their lives for several days, weeks, and a harsh winter.

Of course, you should not expect gratitude from small creatures, they will help you at another time - in the summer, when they start eating harmful insects (mosquitoes, larvae, flies, ants, aphids and worms), which prevent you from growing decent crops. Yes, and you must admit that feeding the birds will not hit your pocketbook, but will bring a pleasant feeling of accomplishment.

IMPORTANT: If you decide to feed the birds in the winter season, when it is difficult for them to find food for themselves, it is important to know that their diet in winter is significantly different from summer. Birds need high-calorie food, but not harmful (otherwise you will simply kill them).

What can you feed:

What not to feed the birds in the winter in the feeder: a list of products

What you need to know about unhealthy food for birds:

• Of course, in winter, birds need fatty foods such as meat and lard. However in no case should it be salty foods, since such food can kill small creatures, provoking dehydration and intoxication in the excretory organs.
• Meat, lard and fat should be given neat., you can mix these ingredients with other food (grains, boiled cereals or bread).
• You can not give black bread - this product, prepared with rye flour, can cause upset and diarrhea in birds, which will lead to their death. There is a lot of salt in black bread, and it also leads to disruption of the kidneys and liver in birds.
• Rye bread can ferment in the goiter of birds and kill them, since there is much more yeast in it than in wheat.

What can not be added to the feeder:

• salty foods
• fried food
• spicy food
• acidic foods
• Citrus fruits (even the peel)
• Peel and fruits of bananas
• Milk
• roasted nuts
• Spicy products

Why can't you feed the birds with salted bacon, fried seeds?

Any disease that affects a bird in the winter season becomes much more dangerous for it than it would be in summer. Gastrointestinal diseases in birds happen quite often, as in harsh winters they can eat junk food in search of survival. This food is offered to them by a person who knows little about the peculiarities of animal nutrition.

INTERESTING: It turns out that chewing gum thrown by a person is often perceived by birds as a piece of bread. They peck it, but after that they die, as the chewing gum completely slows down and clogs their digestive tract.

When offering titmouse and other birds with lard, make sure you cut it out of the non-salted part. Salt is poison for birds. Their kidneys and liver cannot digest and excrete it, and therefore such a product will be certain death for a small creature.

It would seem that sunflower seeds are the most useful food for birds. But only if the seeds are raw. Roasted seeds absorb too much fat and the gastrointestinal tract of birds cannot absorb it, causing poisoning, diarrhea and indigestion, which is very detrimental to most species.

What birds fly to the feeder in winter, and what bird will not appear at the feeder in winter?

When installing a feeder, you should be aware that it is always a source of debris. Therefore, there is no place for feeders on windowsills and balconies of houses (your neighbors may complain). It is best to install it on trees at a height where they will not be accessible to children who want to misbehave and knock it down (or add junk food).

It is possible that along with the "good-natured" birds, you will be able to notice "arrogant" thieves like crows, pigeons, magpies and jackdaws. However, most often they still eat in the feeders:

• sparrows
• Bullfinches
• titmouse
• Nuthatch
• Jays
• Goldfinch
• Crossbill
• pika
• waxwing

What is the best way to feed sparrows, titmice, bullfinches, woodpeckers, waxwings in the winter in the feeder?

If you can afford to buy bird food, then periodically do it in a pet store. There you can easily pick up food from a mixture of millet, oats, wheat and sunflower seeds. This food can be combined with dried rowan berries, slices of white bread (or breadcrumbs), animal fat and lard.

IMPORTANT: The feeder should be updated as the food is eaten. Do not pour too much food at once, because the birds very often empty themselves right during the meal and this spoils some of the food.

What birds eat mountain ash in winter?

The bright red rowan berries often attract birds. These berries, dried by a person and sprinkled in a feeder or left hanging on a tree, serve as food for:

• Ryabinnikov
• Drozdov
• bullfinch
• Waxwings

What cereal can be given to birds in the winter in the feeder? Is it possible to feed birds in the winter feeder with millet, corn, wheat, pearl barley, barley groats, buckwheat, oats, oatmeal, rice, oatmeal?

Groats are a satisfying, nutritious and healthy food for all granivorous birds. It can be sprinkled in raw and dry form, boiled, brought to half-cooked. It is important not to add salt to porridge during cooking, not to add sugar and spices, not to pour in oil (the exception is a small amount of natural animal fat: beef or chicken).

What cereal can be given to wintering birds:

• Buckwheat
• Millet
• Oatmeal (hercules, cereal)
• Perlovka
• corn
• Wheat

Is it possible to feed birds in the winter feeder with pumpkin, watermelon, sunflower seeds?

Saving melon seeds from summer is far from difficult when you eat watermelons, melons and pumpkins. To do this, they should be washed well with running water and dried in the sun from moisture. Such seeds are an excellent nutritious and healthy food for all wintering birds, because they contain dietary fiber and oils. It is easily digested and gives the birds a boost of energy for the winter.

Is it possible to feed birds in the winter in the feeder with crackers, bread, fresh lard?

As already mentioned, bread is not ideal food for birds, but acceptable. However, we are talking only about white and unleavened bread. It should be dried or crushed. It is also allowed to add white bread crackers to the feeder, hanging them on dense threads.

IMPORTANT: If you put pieces of raw, non-salted fat and meat in the feeders, it is also recommended to string them with beads so that the birds do not lose this food, do not drop it from the feeder, do not try to swallow whole, but pinch off piece by piece.

Video: "Wintering Birds"