(adjective) Describes a diet that includes both plants and animals. Omnivorous birds eat a wide range of things, including insects, fish, lizards, crustaceans and rodents (from animals) as well as seeds, grain, grasses, nectar and fruit (from plants). Omnivorous bird species often change their diet seasonally for whatever food sources are most readily available, such as eating insects in the spring and summer but switching to fruits or seeds in the fall and winter. This allows the birds to have a wider range and take advantage of more food sources for better survival.
Birders can take advantage of birds' varied diets by offering a wider range of foods in their backyard to attract hungry birds, including nectar, seeds, mealworms, suet and fruit, as well as by avoiding insecticides in the yard. By catering to a range of tastes, a wider variety of backyard birds will visit feeders.
Omnivorous birds include most types of hummingbirds, ducks, woodpeckers, orioles and many other indiscriminate eaters.
Photo – Orchard Oriole © thefixer
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Omnivore (noun)
