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Copy-bird? Do robins copy great tits in their feeding habits?

paola
29/12/2020 14:30

Hallo everyone, I am new to the forum and I am writing from Italy.

I have great tits, robins and blackbirds coming to my balcony.

I have suet balls and pine nuts for the great tits. But I am particularly fond of the robins and I searched the Internet and bird forums to find out what their favourite food was. It turned out to be mealworms and I so bought them online.

The thing that puzzles me is that, while the blackbirds gorge on the worms, the robins just ignore them and eat the pine nuts from the feeder 

They seem to behave just like the great tits.  I was staggered to see a robin land with his feet on the plate of mealworms and then hop off to pick up a pine nut .

I was wondering if someone can help me figure out why this happens.

I have a 5 l can of dried mealworms and all my robins seem to be vegetarian!

Paola

  • +1 29/12/2020 14:47
    Hello Paola, welcome to the form from over in the UK, up at the very top of Scotland. I don't use real mealworms. but many on here do and their robins (and others) love them, I have dried ones that they were not fussy about, not got around to soaking them in water for a while to see if they tempts them. They do love the little suet pieces though. I have a couple that come to the garage to feed and one in particular will come right in and help himself from the little dish that the suet is in, and will sit at my feet looking up as if to say, well drop some, he is very trusting and comes when I speak or dit to him ,I long for the day he will hand feed. Someone will answer you I am sure. Good luck.
  • +1 29/12/2020 18:24

    Hi Paola, I've noticed that Robins are quite happy to take sunflower hearts from the feeder during winter. I'm sure if I had live mealworms they would go for them but I only usually provide them during the breeding season.
    As Catlady suggests try soaking the dried mealworms for a short while to see if that makes a difference. I often wonder about the nutritional value of dried mealworms given that it's only the outer husk that remains. Pine nuts may be more nutritious and provide more fat and essential oil which birds need in the winter. 

  • +1 29/12/2020 19:09

    Hi Paola, live mealworms might prove more popular (with all the birds). You can buy live mealies online. https://www.livefoodsdirect.co.uk have excellent quality mealies and also wax worms. I put out live mealworms all year round. The House Sparrows love them. I tend to throw the mealies into the bushes and the ivy so that the birds have to do some foraging. My garden Robin sometimes takes the occasional sunflower heart and also goes for the mealies. He's also partial to wax worms. My Starlings will eat rehydrated mealworms, but prefer fat blocks at this time of year.

  • 0 29/12/2020 19:44 in reply to monkeycheese
    CatLady, TeeJay and monkeycheese, thank you so much for your help!!

    I had not thought of soaking the mealworms in water, but I will certainly try now ( I definitely have enough of them to experiment with!) .

    Also, I' will try to see if I can get my hands on live mealworms. I don't know if livefoods.direct ships to Italy, but I think I can maybe find them in fishing shops here in Milan.

    I will also make pellets out of my hand-made suet balls and put them in the plate along with the worms, because they are currently in a hanging suet feeder (for the great tits) and it may be difficult for the robins to reach them.

    As to the sunflower seeds, I can put put them out, but I will keep this as last option, because the blackbirds love them and they will chase away oll the other (nicer) small birds.

    And Teejay - your comment on the nutritional value of dried mealworms is great. It had never occurred to me that the nice, juicy part of the worm is lost with the drying, but I guess it is very clear to the robins (although the blackbirds do not seem to care: but then, in my experience, they would eat almost anything...)


    Paola
  • 0 29/12/2020 20:02
    Sorry, I meant to reply to all of you, but I clicked the wrong icon and I appear to have replied to the last answer only!
  • 0 30/12/2020 13:42
    Paola, Welcome to the Forum from the Surrey/Hants border, 40 miles from central London.

    MC, I have sent you a PM regarding Peregrines.