Can Birds Eat Oranges? by BirdFeederist

Yes, birds can eat oranges just like many other fruits. In fact, oranges offer a lot of health benefits to birds. Many wild bird species are attracted to the oranges, especially the orioles. You have to offer the oranges in the right way to attract the birds. Although birds don’t like citrus fruits, the juicy center of the oranges is very attractive to birds. If you are planning to attract birds to your garden remember you can’t simply place some pieces of oranges anywhere in your garden and expect the birds to visit you.

In this article, we will help you understand about feeding oranges to birds. It will not help if you simply put an orange in the feeder or throw it on the lawn. Birds don’t like the hard outer peel of the oranges. Although birds have strong beaks, they can find it hard to start with a whole orange, which eventually discourages them from eating oranges. So, whether you are going to offer the whole orange to birds or a leftover from your meal, follow the below guide and we will also look at some of the benefits of oranges for birds.

Can Birds Eat oranges

Benefits of Oranges for birds 

Oranges have a lot of health benefits for birds, just like humans, which include the following.

oranges for birds

  1. Oranges are packed with many healthy vitamins, especially vitamin C. Vitamin C boosts the immune system of the birds. So, it’s a great decision to let your feather friend chow some citrus fruits.
  2. It’s a great fruit to relieve stress. So, if you think that bird is experiencing any stress, you can offer them oranges.
  3. Oranges act as a natural resistance against illnesses.
  4. Oranges provide essential energy to birds, which they use throughout the day.
  5. They also contain a small quantity of essential fiber and calories for birds.

Points to keep in mind while offering oranges to birds 

Keep in mind the following points while offering the oranges to birds as some parts of the oranges can be toxic to birds.

orioles on oranges

  • Make sure to offer the oranges in moderation as the citrus present in the oranges can be dangerous to birds. The best you can do is to only offer the oranges once a week. The maximum limit is to offer the oranges two or three times a week.
  • Don’t encourage the birds to eat oranges peel. Although these are not toxic to birds but peels are a little tough for birds, especially for smaller birds. Big birds can try orange peels, but it’s better not to provide peels to birds.
  • You don’t have to remove the orange seeds as these are not harmless for birds. Moreover, orange seeds are also too small, so they don’t cause any choking hazards for birds.
  • You can feed oranges to birds at any time of the year. But spring is the best time to feed the oranges to birds during their mating season. They can attract a lot of nesting birds to your garden.
  • It’s tougher to attract the birds to oranges during winter. But if you are offering any juicy fruit in winter, make sure to place it anywhere in the sun to prevent it from freezing.
  • Don’t remove the pitch as the birds also like to eat it with orange flesh. Unlike many other fruit pitches, the orange pitch is tasteless.
  • Don’t offer orange leaves as the leaves can contain some harmful chemicals for birds.
  • If you have an orange tree in your garden, birds will attract to orange buds and blossoms. Blossom contains many healthy nutrients for them.
  • Keep the bird feeders clean, as juicy fruits can spoil quickly and can create a mess, especially during the spring and summer seasons. Clean the feeders every few days to remove any mold.
  • Be careful while you are using anything to hang the oranges in your garden, as the sharp edges can cause injuries to bird beaks. To avoid this, you can prefer the narrow flat surfaces rather than the nails.
  • The other animals, such as squirrels and raccoons, can also be attracted to the oranges, so the best thing you can do is to use the baffle around any type of feeder.

7 Different Ways to offer the Oranges to Birds 

You can serve the oranges to birds in different ways. Look at these 7 ways and pick the best one that suits you.

sliced oranges

  1. Make orange slices about 4 to 6mm in size and place them on the platform so the birds can easily pick them.
  2. Cut the orange into two equal parts and let it on the platform for birds to eat it in their own way.
  3. You can also make the orange juice and provide it to birds in your garden or simply put some orange pieces in water and serve the birds.
  4. Use the specially designed oriole feeders to offer oranges to birds. These feeders have a special area for oranges to give easy access to birds. Their extra jelly cup can also provide jelly or mealworms to birds. Its bright orange color can also attract the bird’s eyes from long distances.
  5. You can also find any spike on a tree branch or metal fence to hang the orange slices or halves. The nails and bird poles can also help you to hang the oranges for birds.
  6. The simple homemade hangers can also be used to hand the oranges in the yard.
  7. Put the oranges in the square suet feeders, and hang them in the garden. These feeders give the access to birds to eat the oranges from both sides.

Is it safe to offer the orange to birds?

The simple answer is yes, orange is safe for birds to eat. It contains vitamins A, B, and C, which provide many health benefits to birds.

How do birds eat the orange?

Fortunately, if you get a bird in your garden, they will start from the fleshy middle as it’s the softest part of the oranges. They enjoy the endocarp part of the oranges most. Their main goal is to eat from the flesh or only sip the orange juice.

What birds like to eat the orange?

Almost all the wild birds can eat the oranges, but some birds like them the most. The birds that like the oranges most include the orioles, catbirds, woodpeckers, tanagers, towhees, waxwings, thrashers, mockingbirds, and robins. But the list is not only limited to these birds; you can attract many uncommon birds with oranges. Cardinals and finches don’t like the oranges at all.

What type of oranges do birds eat?

You can offer all types of oranges to birds, which include the Valencia, navel oranges, and blood oranges. You can also offer them mandarin oranges such as Satsuma, Tangerine, and Clementine. These oranges have thinner peels as compared to other oranges.

Can birds eat dried oranges?

Yes, birds can eat dried oranges. But most of the dried fruits contain sulfur dioxide, which is not good for birds. If you are offering the dried orange to birds, make sure it’s free from sulfur dioxide as it’s not good for birds’ health.

Conclusion

The birds can eat oranges, and these are very beneficial for them due to their nutritional values. But make sure to only offer in moderation with their usual diet. You can offer the oranges in different ways as discussed above to enjoy watching birds in your garden. Different bird species, especially the orioles love to eat the oranges.

 

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