Birds That Eat Mosquitoes

While bats are probably the animals most known for voraciously consuming mosquitoes while flying at night, several species of birds are also understood to feed on mosquitoes. The difference between them is that birds are opportunistic feeders and will forage on all suitable insects, which may happen to include mosquitoes. However, some birds, like the Northern cardinal, feed mosquitoes to their young due to their smaller size, even though the adults usually consume more giant bugs like cicadas and grasshoppers.

There are definite advantages of birds feeding on mosquitoes. Besides the obvious one where the birds keep the population of a disease-spreading vector down, as natural predators, they act as better pest control than artificial pesticides that harm the environment.

List of Birds That Eat Mosquitoes

These birds are known for feeding on mosquitoes as part of their diet.

American Goldfinch
American Redstart
American Robin
American Woodcock
Anhinga
Baltimore Oriole
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Black-crowned Night Heron
Blackpoll Warbler
Black Skimmer
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Brown Thrasher
Carolina Chickadee
Cedar Waxwing
Cerulean Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Common Grackle
Common Nighthawk
Common Yellowthroat
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Towhee
Eastern Wood-Pewee
European Starling
Florida Scrub-Jay
Gray Catbird
Gray Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Great Tit
Horned Lark
House Wren
House Wren
Loggerhead Shrike
Muscovy Duck
Nashville Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Northern Mockingbird
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Pine Warbler
Purple Finch
Purple Martin
Red-eyed Vireo
Red-winged Blackbird
Roseate Spoonbill
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Song Sparrow
Swainson’s Thrush
Tree Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
White-eyed Vireo
White Ibis
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow Warbler

FAQs

1. Do birds also eat mosquito larvae?

In addition to the adults flying around, insectivorous birds will feast on any mosquito larvae they find. This means that birds will prevent mosquitoes from growing in places around you.

2. How do you attract mosquito-eating birds?

There are several ways to draw the attention of mosquito-loving birds:
a) Provide a suitable environment – To draw the attention of any bird, they need an environment that is homely to them. This can be done by adding feeders, birdbaths, ground cover, and other suitable things to make birds comfortable.
b) Keep pets indoors – If birds sense the presence of pets, especially cats, in the backyard of one’s house, they will keep their distance. To prevent this, it is essential to keep your pet indoors at all times or only let them out in your backyard under supervision.

3. Which bird eats the most mosquitoes?

While this may vary from place to place, the Great Tit is known for eating mosquitoes all the time.